Harry Lives with Sirius
by dreamwriter32
Summary: After POA, Harry lives with Sirius. These are those moments after of Harry, Sirius, and Remus living together.
1. It Was The Birthday Cake

**It was the Birthday Cake**

 **Summary: Harry visits Hagrid while he's at Hogwarts for Sirius and Remus to get their room ready. While there Hagrid gives Harry a birthday cake since he's missed Harry's birthday. It was the birthday cake that causes Harry to get sick.**

Harry laid sprawled on the couch, reading a Defense book. Remus was busy organizing the classroom, he would be using this year, while Sirius was getting their quarters in order. Harry's only job in the process was to organize and clean his room. Since he was at Hogwarts and can use magic, the job was done in about twenty minutes.

"Harry, are you going to take your broom to the shed?" Sirius asked.

"I'm keeping it in my room here, this year," Harry answered, his eyes remaining on the book he was reading.

"That's fine." Sirius began unpacking the things he needed for his desk, opening and closing doors and organizing the quills.

Remus was busy in the classroom and he wanted to do that job on his own. After an eventful summer with Sirius and Harry, Remus was looking for a place to have some 'me time'. He rarely got it at home.

He had to say in the year since Harry had been living with them, things have improved around the house. It was an adjustment to live with a teenager, but Remus counted his lucky stars that Harry was a boy. Less drama or at least that was what Minerva told him.

But Harry he was a good kid, he didn't cause a lot of trouble. He could be cheeky, but Remus welcomed it, giving what Harry had been through.

On that night over a year ago when he and Sirius confront Pettigrew, they thought that their chances of getting Sirius's freedom would be gone forever. But when they received a floo call from Dumbledore, telling them to meet him in his office in an hour and then discover that Pettigrew had been found, they were beyond shocked.

Because of the public outcry if word was to get out that Sirius never had a trial, Fudge decided to give Sirius the Minister's Pardon. It was all for the sake of keeping up his good image and Sirius knew that, but agreed to it anyway. Veritaserum was used just to make sure that Sirius was telling the truth. It was also used in Pettigrew's trial. He was now serving a life sentence in Azkaban.

Sirius was given compensation from the ministry for the twelve years he was falsely in prison. Fudge asked if there was anything that Sirius wanted and his immediately answer was custody of Harry. The at the time thirteen year old was overjoyed. The summer that followed was filled with healer appointments to restore Harry's health and a lot counseling. They got through it and managed the best way they could.

And Harry was thriving, he was healthy and was currently at the weight of the average fifteen year old. But Harry was self conscious about his appearance and his body, like any teenager.

But Harry was happy, living with Sirius and Remus. They loved him and they showed it.

Sirius glanced at the clock Remus had insisted they needed and told Harry that he would be late for tea at Hagrid's.

When the half giant heard that Harry would be with Remus and Sirius when they came to Hogwarts to get things organized, he asked Sirius if Harry could come for tea.

"I'm going," Harry said, getting up off the couch and headed to his room to drop the book off on his desk. He returned to the sitting room and waved to Sirius. "See you later," Harry called over his shoulder and headed out of the portrait.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Sirius walked into the classroom that would be his and Remus for at least this year. It was a miracle that Professor Dumbledore to rehire Remus to teach Defense once again. The amount of letters from parents and students in Remus's favor was overwhelming that the Board of Governors really had no choice. It helped that Dumbledore had given Sirius a position on the board, taking the chair that many Blacks before him had taken.

Sirius assured the board that the students would be safe during the night of the Full Moon. Remus would never be on the grounds when there was a Full Moon, deciding to use the Shrieking Shack for his transformations. Sirius would teach the next day or give the kids an assignment to complete in the library, asking Madam Pince to have them sign in.

"What do you think about the Defense club Dumbledore wants to start?" Remus asked.

"What do I think about what?" Sirius hadn't been paying attention. Instead, his mind was elsewhere, mostly thinking about how to decorate the office.

"What do you think about what Dumbledore said about the Defense club?" Remus repeated.

"Oh." Sirius sat down on a desk, smiling inwardly as he knew this would most likely be where Harry and Ron would sit.

"I think it's a good idea," Sirius replied. "I think thought that Harry could manage it, with us as the faculty supervisors."

"We'll see what Harry thinks about that. This is his OWL year and he would be pretty busy." Remus paused as he glanced at a markup of the fifth year timetables that Professor McGonagall had brought him. "But, he thinks he could tackle it along with Quidditch, homework and OWL prep, and then I wouldn't have a problem."

Remus turned to set up a bookcase with his Defense books. "Although, if Harry gets overwhelmed, we'll have to step in and take over the Defense club," Remus said, his back to Sirius.

"I agree," Sirius murmured. He walked to the closet and began to organize the equipment.

"Has Harry mentioned to you what he would like to do as a career? Remus asked Sirius, entering the closet with extra books in his hand. "That's something else he'll have this year."

"That's a talk that can wait until Easter break. Christmas, I figured we'd have the _Talk._ "

"You mean, _the_ Talk…." Remus trailed off, chuckling slightly when Sirius nodded. "It's time for that, isn't it?"

"It is." Sirius paused for a second and then turned to Remus. "I think we should also tell him what's going on, and you know what I mean Remus."

"Should we really burden him with that?" Remus asked, stopping what he was working on to look at his best friend.

"I think we should. He should know why this is happening, Remus. Maybe we could help prevent things from happening. He should know the prophecy, Remus. If James was alive he would tell Harry."

"I know he would," Remus sighed. "But Lily wouldn't allow it. He would have to go behind her back to do it."

"So, do you see any reason why we shouldn't tell Harry at all or tell him at Christmas?"

"Tell him at Christmas," Remus decided. "This way, it gives us time to think about how we're going to start the conversation."

"Okay, so we're agreed we'll tell Harry when we're home from Christmas Break?"

Remus nodded. "I hope this isn't a mistake."

"I don't think it would be," Sirius assured him. He walked out to the corridor and into their private quarters. He had just begun to unpack his things in his room when he heard the floo activate.

"Hello, any one here," the voice of Albus Dumbledore called.

"I'm here Albus," Sirius said as he entered the sitting room. "What do you need?"

"I was wondering if I might have a word with you?" the headmaster asked.

"Sure, give me a minute." Sirius wrote a brief note to Remus and Harry and flooed to the headmaster's office.

"Settling in alright?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, we seem to be, we'll officially move on the first September. Just wanted to get some things ready before we get too busy."

"Good." Dumbledore handed Sirius a packet of parchment. "This is the information I came up with for the Defense club. You can let me know what you and Remus decided and we'll go from there."

"We decided to do it, Albus and let Harry do the teaching with Remus and me supervising. For a fifteen year old wizard, he's powerful and knows a lot of the advanced charms, spells, and everything really. I think there isn't a book in the library he hasn't read once and when we're at Grimmauld Place, he's always practicing."

"He's a good kid, Sirius. Considering everything he's went through. I don't think I could apologize enough for leaving him at that horrible place. Minerva has repeated that to me for weeks now." Albus paused to take a sip of tea. "How's he doing since what happened in June?"

"He's improved. The nightmares seem to be getting less about Voldemort's return and Cedric's death and more about something happening to me or Remus. He's had a few nights where he didn't sleep at all. The healer you recommended has helped a lot. I don't think we could thank you enough for suggesting him. Healer Sammons told Remus and me that it would take time. Considering the fact that the Ministry now believes Harry's story and Rufus is now the Minister, I think things will return to a normal life, considering the times we're leaving in."

Albus nodded and hummed as Sirius talked. Then he asked, "Have you decided on whether or not you'll tell Harry the prophecy?"

"We're telling him at Christmas." Sirius paused to gage the headmaster's reaction. When he didn't say anything, Sirius added, "I'll be accompanying Harry to the Hogsmeade weekends this year so as a precaution. I think the rule is, I'm not to say anything about what he eats, buys, or anything. I'm just there for safety."

The headmaster chuckled. "Where is Harry at right now?"

"He went to Hagrid's. He had invited Harry for tea. He's been gone for about an hour. Roaming around here, I don't mind since the wards are in place. He should be back soon, though."

"Okay, well, I'll let you get back to what you were doing. Thank you, Sirius."

"You're welcome, Albus." He got up to go to the floo when Dumbledore said. "By the way, I know I said this last year, but, it's nice to see Harry happy again."

"Is it," Sirius agreed and flooed to Remus's office, so he could tell him about the talk with Dumbledore.

Harry wouldn't back for another hour, probably taking his time walking back to enjoy the sunny August afternoon.

Sirius figured he would go to the library to talk with Madam Pince about his idea of sending his classes to the library for a research assignment if he wasn't able to teach the days during the Full Moon.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

If Sirius walked into his quarters at that moment, he would have his godson in the same position he would have that morning before Harry left for Hagrid's: lying on the couch.

Only this time, Harry was curled up on his side, his eyes closed, trying to concentrate on not throwing up. Visions of the green glob of frosting that reminded Harry of toothpaste were floating around in Harry's mind, making the teen feel queasier than he was. The worse part of all this was he knew what the green glob tasted like, only Harry didn't know which was worse, the frosting or the cake, which, when it met Harry's tongue, it was all he could do to swallow.

The cake itself was dry, and Harry was positive the white powder in the middle was flour that wasn't stirred in well enough.

His stomach grumbled, letting Harry know that it didn't appreciate the second piece of cake Hagrid served him or the third or until Harry had realized he had eaten half of the cake. It wasn't until Harry returned to Remus and Sirius's quarters that his stomach let him that eating the cake was a bad idea.

Not trusting himself to breathe through his mouth, Harry blew the breath out his nose. The cake must have turned into clay in his stomach. Green, lumpy, chunky, clay.

Turning over to lie on his stomach, Harry smashed his face in the plush pillow. He hoped that for a moment he wouldn't have to feel this awful rolling, churning in his belly.

Just when he thought that he would have to get up and find Sirius, despite not wanting to move from the couch, he heard the door open and close and the familiar footsteps of Sirius. He could never sneak up on anybody because he walked loud.

Feeling relieved that Sirius was there, Harry kept his face smashed into the pillow, afraid any movement would upset his already unhappy tummy further.

"Harry, we're going to go home in about an hour. Remus is talking to Severus about his Wolfsbane potion and then we'll floo home."

The sound of cabinet doors opening and then closing told Harry that Sirius was finishing putting up the cups for tea in the kitchenette. Another cabinet door opened and the soft thump said that the tea box was now put up.

"Remind me when we get home to read over your Defense essay. I'll let you know if Remus would find it acceptable to turn in."

Harry ignored Sirius talking. It then occurred to Harry that the one thing he wanted to do while here was to find a book to help him with his History of Magic homework. But they would be back here to set things up again since Remus and Sirius would be beginning lesson planning and they liked doing it here so they have access to the books they needed.

Harry's stomach rumbled, causing Harry to muffle a moan.

A part of him debated over whether or not to tell Sirius he didn't feel well. During his fourth year, he had gotten sick a few times and every time, Sirius was there to take care of him. Sirius didn't care what time of the day it was, if Harry was sick, he wanted to know.

Before he could say anything, he felt Sirius's hand on the back of his neck. The hand was cool, rough like sand paper.

"Tea wear you out? I wouldn't think walking to and from Hagrid's would overexerted yourself," Sirius commented.

"Hagrid had shown me where he placed Buckbeak. He said to tell you thank you for getting approval to bring him back," Harry told his godfather, turning his head away from the pillow. The position Harry was laying was somewhat uncomfortable with his neck turned the way it was. Sirius's hand moved to the middle of his back.

Before Sirius could say another else, Harry groaned into the pillow, lifting himself for a moment to press a hand to his abdomen.

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked, his voice sounding like a loving father. Harry felt his other hand in his hair. "What aches?"

Harry managed, somehow, to turn onto his back, one hand remaining on his belly only to be joined by the other. Lying belly down didn't help. Harry pondered how laying on his stomach helped when he had a stomach aches, but lying on his belly was one of his first responses to stomach aches.

"My stomach," Harry admitted. He felt childish, admitting a stomach ache to Sirius. The churning and roiling in his stomach was getting worse. "It's killing me," he slurred, groaning slightly.

Sirius's hand had moved to the back of the couch when Harry turned over on to his back. He gently reached down and placed his hand on Harry's abdomen, feeling the warm skin under his cool hand. He wasn't sure, but he thought he heard Harry whine when he took his hand off his godson's belly.

"Stay there," Sirius murmured. "I'll go and get you a stomach soother."

Harry looked at Sirius, as if he was saying _where would I go?_ With his stomach acting the way it was, Harry wasn't going to be moving suddenly anytime soon.

Sirius entered the bathroom and opened the cupboard. He had asked Madam Pomfrey to help them keep the potion cabinet stocked with potions. She agreed since Remus opted to stay in his own quarters to recover from Full Moons. Madam Pomfrey was kind enough to give Sirius some extra potions for himself and Harry.

Looking into the cabinet, Sirius reached for some stomach soother, and smiled when he found the familiar pink potion. He closed the cabinet with the potion in his hand and returned to the sitting room.

The only change in Harry's position was both hands were on his belly and he had returned to lying on his side.

"Good thing we had some in the cabinet or we would have had to make a trip to the hospital wing and I know you would have wanted to. Sit up."

Harry obeyed, propping himself up on a hand. "I'm sorry."

Sirius used his free hand to lift Harry's chin to look in his eyes. "You don't have to apologize. This isn't the first time you've had a stomach ache."

Without another word, Sirius brought the potion to Harry's lips, tipping it slightly so he didn't spill it all over Harry.

Without complaining, Harry drank the potion. To his relief, it wasn't as disgusting as the other potions he had to take in his lifetime. Thankfully, Sirius grabbed a cherry flavored one. When he swallowed the last of the potion, he leaned back against the couch, letting his body slide down to where he laid on his side once again.

"How long does it take to work?" Harry asked, imagining the potion coating the lining of his stomach. He hated the agonizing waiting period between the swallowing and the reparation.

"Not lone, give it time," Sirius soothed, rubbing Harry's back.

"I think I had too much of it."

"Too much of what?" Sirius paused the back rub, something telling that this wasn't a simple stomachache.

"Cake. Hagrid had made me a birthday cake to go with the tea," Harry explained.

There was a pause and a moment of silence before Sirius repeated, "Cake."

"I didn't want to hurt Hagrid's feeling so I ate most of it. The frosting reminded me of toothpaste and the cake, was indescribable." Harry wrapped his arm around his abdomen, his left hand pressing against his belly.

"Define most of it," Sirius requested.

Harry closed his eyes, wincing when he remembered exactly how he gotten himself where he was now.

"Half, maybe more," Harry replied.

"Half, maybe more," Sirius repeated. He was surprisingly calm. "I know Hagrid made the cake for your birthday since we wasn't here for your birthday. But did you have to eat almost the whole thing?"

"I didn't want to hurt his feelings," Harry argued.

"I know, Harry. But you eat a _piece_ of cake and not the whole cake."

The portrait door opened and Remus stepped in. He stopped when he seen Sirius and Harry. "What happened?" he asked.

"Harry had too much cake when he went to Hagrid's" Sirius explained.

"Stop staying that word. Please," Harry moaned, curling into a ball on the couch. The arms wrapped around Harry's middle tightened.

"The stomach soother should start taking effect," Sirius informed his godson.

"It's not." Harry couldn't keep the whine out of his voice. "My stomach really hurts, can I have another one?" he all but begged. He felt himself breaking out into a sweat, whether or not it was humid in the room, Harry couldn't tell in that moment.

Remus headed to the bathroom and returned a moment later with another stomach soother and handed it to Sirius.

"Sit up for me and I'll give you another stomach soother."

Harry propped himself up, this time being assisted by Remus. He leaned against Remus as he slurped on the second potion, this one tasting like mint, reminding him the toothpaste he was currently using at home.

He let himself relax, leaning against Remus. If only for a moment before…..

His stomach moaned, growling loudly, Harry swore he felt it bubbling

Without further ado, Harry jumped off the couch and ran for the bathroom. Sirius and Remus shared a look before following.

One thought crossed both of their minds: it was going to be a long night tonight.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Upon returning to Marauder's Place, Sirius carried Harry upstairs to bed. This was the first time that Harry had lived with Sirius and Remus that Harry was in bed before supper. Sirius and Remus both agreed to never send Harry to bed without supper, ever.

But to their surprise, Harry fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

Around one in the morning Harry woke up to his stomach coiling. A sudden cramp rolled through his abdomen, causing Harry to press his hands deep into his belly. He promised himself that he wasn't going to eat cake anytime soon, maybe never again.

His stomach rumbled unhappily. "What's your problem? There's nothing in you," Harry groaned, rubbing his stomach in hopes of soothing it. He reached for his glasses and slipped them on.

"How did I get here?" he pondered. Sirius had to carry him up here, because his stomach was too upset to even let him walk.

Another rumble from his stomach and Harry throw off the covers and slowly as he could shuffled to the thankfully open door.

The corridor in the old house was dark, cool with dim light leaking from a crack of the hall bathroom and the glow of the night light. Harry knew he was the reason for the night light so he could see to get to Sirius's bedroom.

The door to Remus's bedroom was shut with the sounds of snoring coming from the room. Sirius's bedroom door was cracked open, the moonlight streaming from the hall window and from the crack of the bedroom door provided Harry with more light to see.

As Harry turned the corner towards Sirius's bedroom, he heard the tick tock of the grandfather clock. It was the first thing that greeted who ever came up the stairs. It didn't chime thanks to charms Remus placed on it since it often was the cause of Sirius's middle of the night insomnia.

Harry stood in front of Sirius's bedroom door, clutching his stomach and feeling like a child, as he debated over whether or not it was worth it to wake up Sirius or to go to the bathroom and hunt for a stomach soother himself.

Harry was very familiar with the potion, having almost lived on it last summer.

The cold hardwood floor changed to soft plush carpet as Harry stepped over the threshold of Sirius's bedroom. The carpet was warm to Harry's bare feet compared to the coldness of the hardwood floors of the corridor.

The only sounds in the quiet room were Sirius's soft snores. Harry only walked two steps towards the bed when Sirius turned over, facing Harry. Sirius's eyes cracked up for a second and then sprung open and like a shot he sat up.

"What's wrong, Pup?" Sirius asked, his voice sounding groggy,

"My stomach hurts again." Harry would deny that he whined this. But Harry was getting used to being cared for when he was sick that a part of him wanted to fake a stomach ache just for the attention he got when he was sick.

Sirius just padded the place next to him, motioning for Harry to come and get in bed with him. Harry had only slept with Sirius when he was afraid to go to sleep after a nightmare. Either he would sleep in Sirius bed with him or sleep in his own bed with Sirius as Padfoot.

"I'll go and see about getting you a stomach soother. You stay here," Sirius murmured as he tucked Harry into bed on the left side of the bed. Harry huddled himself beneath the warmth of the covers, and turned to glance at the pillow. It was a little bit harder than the soft one Harry slept on.

His stomach made its presence known, grumbling and gurgling loudly. Harry gripped his stomach once again. He didn't notice Sirius reentering the bedroom until he heard a soft _thump._

"I brought you your pillow, figured you would want it instead of the hard ones I use."

Harry lifted his head so Sirius could change out the pillows. Before Harry returned his head to the now soft pillow he was used to, Sirius helped him sit up to take another potion.

"I brought you some water to sip on after you take the potion. This is the maximum strength one, it should help your stomach feel better."

Harry let Sirius turn the vial up and he swallowed the potion. Once Harry swallowed the last of the potion, Sirius sat it down on the nightstand and then summoned a gray bucket from the hall closet.

"Just in case you need it," Sirius informed his godson.

"Thanks Sirius," Harry mumbled.

"You're welcome." Sirius returned to his side of the bed and laid down. He watched Harry for a moment as he turned over to face Sirius. It didn't seem too much longer until Harry was asleep.

"Sleep well, Prongslet," Sirius whispered and kissed Harry's forehead before settled in bed and fell asleep once again.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Sirius and Remus let Harry sleep until close to noon the next day. Sirius woke him up by bringing Harry a bowl of porridge with some apple juice for breakfast.

"Harry, time to wake up," Sirius soothed as he shook Harry's shoulder gently. Harry's eyes opened and Sirius handed Harry his glasses.

"It's almost noon, Remus and I let you sleep in some today, figuring you needed some rest," Sirius explained. "How's your stomach?"

"Better," Harry replied, through a yawn. He then noticed the bowl of porridge. "Is that breakfast?"

"Yes, it is. Eat as much as you want."

Harry scooped some of the porridge in his mouth and soon the whole bowl was gone.

"Sirius," Harry began. "Thanks for taking care of me last night."

"You're welcome," Sirius murmured, he leaned over and kissed Harry's head.

Once Harry was done with breakfast, he went to take a quick shower and change clothes so he could go with Sirius to Diagon Alley to get his school things.

"We're leaving in a few minutes," Sirius announced when Harry was tying his shoes.

Upon arriving to the Leaky Caldron, Harry and Sirius headed straight to the entrance of Diagon Alley. They met the Weasleys and Hermione at Flourish and Blotts.

"So are you coming to the Burrow this weekend for the Quidditch game?" Ron asked Harry as they collected their school books.

"Yeah, I'm coming. Sirius said something about playing too. I think thought he's a little rusty.

Harry and Ron talked about the Quidditch game that weekend until Hermione slammed a book about OWLs on Harry and Ron's stack.

"By the way Harry, we're going to have your birthday cake at the Burrow before the game."

Harry paled at the thought of cake, Sirius chuckled. "Um, what kind is it?" Harry asked, dreading the answer.

"Your favorite, chocolate with chocolate icing" Hermione replied.

Harry nodded and looked at Sirius, who laughed and left Hermione and Ron looking at Harry puzzled. Harry briefly explained to them what happened the day before. Ron winced in sympathy, while Hermione cooed, "you poor thing."

Harry knew that he had a few days to prepare for Molly's cake. But one thing Harry knew for sure, Molly's cakes were a lot better than Hagrid's and hers would never cause a stomach ache, unless he ate too much.

 **AN: If Harry couldn't live with his parents, then I wished he lived with Sirius. Let me know in the reviews, or PM me if you have idea of Harry Lives with Sirius situation or story idea. I'm open to ideas and I'll see what I can do.**


	2. The Beginning of a New Life

**The Beginning of a New Life**

 **Summary: It's the beginning of a new life for Harry when he goes to live with Sirius.**

"Hurry up, Hermione. Let's go," Harry called up the girls' staircase. It was the day when they would board the Hogwarts Express and go home for the summer. A time that Harry often dreaded, but now he was excited. He will not be returning to Number 4 Privet Drive this summer, no sir. He was going to live with his new found godfather Sirius.

To say that Harry was happy about the new arrangement was an understatement. He had been counting down the days until they would go home and now he was waiting for his two best friends to come downstairs to the common room and they would go to breakfast.

"I've never seen Harry this happy," Fred intoned to his twin.

George nodded, agreeing. "Yeah, he's like a child on Christmas morning."

Ron joined the group of his two brothers and sisters, nearly knocking into Harry as the raven headed teen came upstairs, ready to drag him down the stairs.

Ron was about to ask what had gotten into Harry when he bellowed, "HERMIONE JEAN GRANGER, YOU BETTER BE DOWN HERE IN TEN SECONDS OR WE'LL LEAVE WITHOUT….."

Hermione cut Harry off by shouting. "I'M COMING HARRY, KEEP YOUR HAIR ON!"

The sound of footsteps and a trunk coming down the stairs announced Hermione's presence in the common room.

Hermione barely greeted the group when Harry headed to the portrait hole, his rucksack on his shoulder and Hedwig's cage in his hand.

"Let's go," Harry called over his shoulder, leading the group out of the common room. They followed for fear that if they didn't, Harry was liable to start hexing. In Defense that year, Remus had decided to put on a Dueling demonstration with those students who had the highest score in his class. It was needless to say, Harry wiped the floor with his opponents.

Remus was beaming with pride, silently wishing James was here to see his son. He had shared the memory with Sirius once the ex convict was settled in his quarters for the time being. Sirius agreed that Harry was a good and powerful wizard for a third year.

"Somebody is impatient," George muttered, following the rest of the group down to breakfast. They noticed that Harry was half way down the corridor. Ron and Hermione shared a look, happy that for the first time Harry was looking forward to going home.

Harry was going to live with Sirius, his new found godfather. After the whole Peter Pettigrew situation, the Ministry freed Sirius and given him a good size compensation pay and asked is there anything else he would like. Sirius immediately replied that he wanted custody of Harry. It was granted immediately and since there was three weeks, it gave Sirius time to find a house and fix it up.

"I don't think I've seen Harry this happy," Hermione said to the group. They entered the Great Hall where they all sat together to eat breakfast. Ron and Hermione noticed that Harry hadn't piled his plate full as he had for the last two years before they left for the summer. Hermione sat down across next to Harry and across from Ron. What Ron told her last September ringing in her ears.

" _They were starving him, Hermione. You thought you was skinny last year, he's even skinnier now."_

The words repeated in her head. Then, without warning, she tackled Harry in a tight hug, surprising the raven headed teen.

"What?" Harry asked her.

"I'm just happy for you," Hermione explained. Harry knew that this was the first of many hugs he would receive.

They looked up at the Head table and found that Remus was still there, he hadn't left yet. Professor Snape sat on the far end of the table, close to the Slytherin table. A scowl was on his face.

Remus noticed that Harry was with them and made his way to where the group was sitting.

"Are you riding the train with us again, Professor?" Hermione asked.

"No, and please call me Remus. I'm no longer your professor," he requested. He turned to Harry. "That goes for you too." He handed Harry a bag with some money in it. "That's from Sirius, for the trolley. He'll meet you at the station. I'm going to use Professor Dumbledore's floo and floo to Sirius's."

Harry turned around to face Remus, swallowing the eggs and bacon in his mouth. "Are you staying with us?" he asked in a soft voice.

"Actually, Sirius insists that I live with you two. Do you mind?" Remus asked.

"No, I don't have a problem with you living with us," Harry assured him.

Remus ruffled Harry's hair and said, "I'll see you at home." Turning to the rest of the group, he said, "Have a good summer, and Sirius wanted me to pass on a message that you are all welcome to visit anytime. Just floo or owl first."

Remus returned to his place at the table, smiling as he watched Ron and Harry play Rock Scissors Paper for the last muffin. He chuckled to himself and banished the remaining muffin in front of him to Harry's plate. He kept from laughing out loud when Harry and Ron jumped. They both examined the muffins and then began to stuff them in their mouth, ignoring Hermione's reprimands.

When the group finished their breakfast, they got up to head to Gryffindor tower for one last look around to make sure that they got everything. Professor McGonagall approached the group, heading straight for Harry. She placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "I wanted to let you know, Potter, that I'm happy for you."

Then, without warning, the normally stern and serious Professor McGonagall engulfed Harry in a rare hug. The hug only lasted a minute, then the Deputy Headmistress ended the hug.

"Have a good summer, Potter," Professor McGonagall said, then left the Great Hall, leaving a stunned Harry Potter and a group of Weasleys and Hermione.

"Did she just…"Fred trailed off.

"Yes, Fred, she did," George informed his twin.

Ron and Hermione broke out of their stupor long enough to remind everyone they had an hour before they had to be at the train station. Together they walked to Gryffindor tower. They walked in silence, no one knowing what to say after the display in the Great Hall.

Hermione told the Fat Lady the password and they all separated and went to their own dorms. Harry and Ron found that they had packed everything, only Ron had left his rucksack leaning next to his bed.

Harry had left his rucksack and Hedwig's cage in the Common Room next to his trunk. The house elves were transporting trunks down to the train station. Harry collected his things and headed out the portrait hole.

"I can't believe McGonagall hugged Harry," he heard Fred and George tell their friend Lee of the rare display their head of house gave.

A screech made the students in the corridors jump. The owls that belonged to students were flying in the Great Hall, looking for their owners.

Harry spotted Hedwig and whistled for her, a little too sharply for Hermione, who was standing next to Harry.

"Sorry, Hermione," Harry intoned. Hermione waved him off. Hedwig perched herself on Harry's shoulder and then flew into her cage. Harry closed the door and threw in a few leftover pieces of bacon that he and Ron had saved for her.

"We need to go," Hermione informed the boys as she headed outside to the get in a carriage.

They shared a carriage with Neville and Ginny and then when they reached the station, Hermione led the boys onto the train and found a compartment in the middle of the train.

Now that they were on their way to London, Harry started to feel nervous about living with Sirius. He bore the scars, both physical and emotional, from the abuse he suffered at the hand of his relatives. He didn't know if he should tell Sirius about the abuse.

Then a thought occurred to Harry. Would Sirius be like his uncle? Would he go hungry again? The thoughts started to overwhelm Harry and wondered if he made a good choice of deciding to live with Sirius. But then, Harry remembered the little time he spent with Sirius after he was declared innocent and was staying with Remus in his quarters.

They got to know each other in that little amount of time. Harry told Sirius some about his life with his relatives. While Harry was scared that Sirius would be like his uncle, Sirius told Harry them, he would never live like he did with his relatives again.

This is going to a great summer.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

In a house in Hatfield, England were Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. They were finishing getting the house ready for Harry's arrival. Sirius had spent the day before, fixing up Harry's room. He had decided to let Harry decide what color to paint the room and how to decorate it. All Sirius did was set up the bedroom furniture. He wanted Harry to decide where Quidditch posters went and what colors he wanted in the room.

"Are you ready?" Remus asked. Sirius and Remus were sitting in at the kitchen table, drinking tea. Sirius and Remus had decided to fix a mixture of James and Lily's favorites along with Sirius's famous chocolate truffle cake.

"Yeah," Sirius sighed with a smile. "Are you ready to live with a teenager?"

Remus smiled. "It's only one."

Sirius smiled back. This was how it was supposed to be. Even thought James and Lily should be here and watch their son growing up, Sirius knew that if they died, they wanted Harry to be raised by him. Even though Harry was thirteen almost fourteen, Sirius knew he would have a few years left with Harry before he was grown.

A glance at the clock and Sirius grabbed the keys to the SUV he had purchased. He and James both had a Muggle driver's license under Lily's advisement. Remus had taken his test during the Easter holidays and passed, much to the chagrin of Sirius who had to take the test twice.

Remus stayed at the house to keep an eye on the food and to finish getting the house ready for Harry's arrival. The drive into London was quiet, as Sirius thought of things he and Harry could do over the summer. One of the first things Sirius was going to do was to take Harry to a healer. Madam Pomfrey had expressed concern over Harry's health and considering that she didn't have any records of Harry's medical history. She concluded, there wasn't one.

Healer appointments for Harry and him both will fill the first part of the summer, the remaining summer would be spent however Harry wants. One thing Sirius decided to do was to take Harry to the coast. During their talk in the hospital wing, Harry told Sirius that the Dursleys went on trips and holidays with him, leaving him with Miss Figg. That was when Sirius decided to take Harry to the coast. Remus would be coming with them since he, too, had never been.

Sirius made it to Kings Cross with ten minutes to spare. He wondered if he would be rushing Harry here many times until he graduates. He entered the train station and walked to the barrier between platforms nine and ten. He looked around and when he felt that he wouldn't be seen, he entered the barrier.

Some parents were already there, waiting for their children. Sirius found Molly and Arthur waiting not far from the barrier.

"Hello Sirius," Arthur greeted. "Nice to see you out and about."

"It's good to be able to be out and about," Sirius chuckled. He asked Arthur how the graduation went.

"It went as well as expected. Percy is going to work at the Ministry with Barty Crouch," the proud father replied.

"Great."

Molly asked, "How's the house coming?" Sirius had called her to ask about what were some of the basics one kept in their kitchen. Molly provided a list and a catalog that was marked with different baking and cooking necessitates. She also provided a few recipes of Harry's favorite food. Sirius appreciated her help more than she would never know.

A few minutes before the train arrived, Sirius turned to the Weasley parents, planning on asking to have Ron over some this summer.

"I was thinking when Harry gets settled, that he could have a friend over. Is it okay for Ron to come over and spend the night some, I figured Harry would like to have friends over some."

Molly and Arthur looked at each other. After years of marriage, they were able to communicate with looks alone. Then Molly nodded with a smile and Arthur said, "That would great."

Then when Molly wasn't listening, he then over to ask Sirius if the house was a Muggle house. It was and Sirius had taken some time to get used to Muggle appliances and the electricity. Sirius then invited Arthur and the rest of the family over to host a dinner. He and Remus thought that they would get their friends together for a dinner to catch up and make up for lost time.

Then a whistle pierced the air announcing the arrival of the Hogwarts Express.

Sirius looked for the familiar messy raven headed teen, only remembering that with Harry's height, it would be difficult to find him.

Percy was the first to reach his parents, only to be pushed aside by Ginny when she saw that both of her parents were there. She slammed into Arthur's awaiting arms, ignoring her brother's scolding.

Fred and George followed and said hello to Sirius.

"Would you happen to know where….?" That was all Sirius got out when he was attacked by a black blob. He felt arms around his waist and looked down to find the familiar messy black hair.

"Miss me already, Harry?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah," Harry admitted, quietly enough for Sirius to hear.

Sirius opened his arms and was tackled into another hug by his godson.

Ron and Hermione paused a few steps behind, smiling at the scene before them. They were happy for Harry and brought a smile to their faces to see Harry happy, finally.

They joined the rest of the group and then greeted everyone and said goodbyes to the Weasleys as Harry and Sirius headed to the Muggle entrance with Hermione to meet her parents.

Robert and Jane Granger were waiting for their daughter on the other side of the barrier. Hermione leaped into her father's arms, much like Ginny did earlier. After the small family reunion, Hermione introduced Sirius to her parents.

"And how are you Harry?" Jane asked.

"I'm good. Did Hermione tell you that I'll be living with Sirius now?"

Jane nodded and much like her daughter did that morning, she embraced Harry in loving and tight hug.

"I'm happy for you and hope that you have a great summer."

Harry looked over at Sirius where he was talking to Robert about making arrangements for Hermione to come and visit.

Harry smiled and said, "I think I will."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Remus, we're here," Sirius called upon entering the house. He carried Harry's trunk while the teen carried Hedwig's cage and his rucksack.

Remus came into the hallway and smiled. "Hello again, Harry. Welcome home."

"Thanks… Remus." Harry had to stop himself from call him professor. Since Remus was no longer a professor, he asked Harry to call him Remus.

"The food's ready," Remus told Sirius when he returned downstairs.

"Great." Sirius turned Harry, who was still standing beside the door. "Leave your rucksack here and you can get it when you head upstairs. There's a Owlery off the scullery, Hedwig could stay there if she wants.

Once Harry's opened the cage door, Hedwig flew off to the Owlery.

Sirius led Harry to the downstairs bathroom, where they washed their hands before heading on to the kitchen. Upon entering the kitchen, Harry found the table full of different foods, most of which were his favorite.

They sat down to the meal that Sirius and Remus prepared, casually talking about what they had planned for the summer.

"After we eat, I'll give you the tour," Sirius announced.

Harry then asked where exactly where they. "Hatfield, we're about a forty five to an hour drive from London," Remus replied.

"I found this place when I was out looking for a place. The large grounds and the fact it was in the country was a selling point for me," Sirius explained.

"So what are my chores?" Harry asked, when Sirius began to clean the table. The question made Remus and Sirius, stop what they were doing.

"Your only responsibility is to keep your room semi clean. As long as I can navigate my way to your bed without tripping over anything is all I ask. Then, keeping your Quidditch gear, including your broom in the scullery in their proper places. Anything you would like to add, Remus?"

The werewolf shook his head. "There are a few rules we should mention."

Sirius nodded and turned to Harry. "The main one is that you're not to go outside on the night of the full moon. You'll spend the night with the Weasleys until you're a little older, but we applied the rule now to have it in place."

"The next one is while you're almost fourteen, curfew will be eleven o'clock. We'll change it to midnight when you turn fifteen, depending on how well the eleven o'clock one goes," Remus added.

"While there are wards around the place, you are not to leave the wards unless you have permission from one of us. Lastly, you're not to go into the woods behind the house without Remus or myself. That is all we have for now. Do you have any questions?"

"No," Harry replied.

"Okay." Sirius got up from the table and asked Harry to follow him. They walked into the den where it was sat up like a Muggle family room complete with a television, VCR, and a collection of movies. The room it's self wasn't large, but big enough that if Harry invited the entire Weasley family, Hermione, Neville, and the Quidditch team, they would have enough room plus room for Remus and Sirius.

Across from the den was the sitting room. In it was the fireplace connected to the floo, two armchairs in front of the fire and a couch and loveseat sat up like a conversation area.

"Come on, before we head upstairs, I have something to show you outside."

Godfather and Godson headed back to the kitchen and into the scullery. Sirius paused for a second in the scullery to tell Harry this was where he could keep his Quidditch gear, broom and was where he was to bring his laundry to. Remus would see to it that the laundry got done, since Sirius didn't know how do and his one attempt resulted in pink shirts and socks.

Sirius opened the side door and lead Harry outside. Once Harry was out the door, he looked out to the clearing behind the house, just before the woods began.

There in front of him was his own Quidditch pitch. It wasn't the size of the pitch at Hogwarts and only had one hoop, but Harry didn't care. It was more than enough room for him to fly.

"The wards around the pitch end at the top of the trees," Sirius explained. "Leave the wards, and your broom stays on the ground for a long time."

Harry nodded, his eyes not leaving the pitch. Then without warning, he hurled himself into Sirius's arms.

"Thank you, Sirius."

"You haven't seen your room yet," Sirius whispered. Harry looked at his godfather and followed him back into the house. They headed to the stairs where Harry noticed the pictures on the wall. Most of them were of James, Sirius, and Remus with Lily, while others were of Remus, Sirius, and James.

"We'll add more later," Remus implied. They walked upstairs and Sirius pointed out his and Remus's bedrooms.

"Here, is the first room up here. This is my room. If you wake up from a nightmare or need me for anything in the night, you may come here. I don't mind."

Harry nodded and looked around the room from the door. The room was considered the master, the largest of the three bedrooms upstairs. The room was painted in a very soothing blue color. The king size bed looked inviting with the fluffy pillows and red comforter.

There were a few pictures of James and Sirius. But the one on Sirius's night stand drew Harry's attention. It was a picture of Sirius with a baby Harry.

"Your Mum took that picture when I first came to see you after they went into hiding. I visited often, bringing you toys and things."

Harry followed Sirius and Remus to Remus's room.

"This is my room, if you need me in the night, you're welcome to come in here. But I understand if you would prefer Sirius."

The room was painted in a relaxing gray color. Harry didn't question why Remus chose gray. The bed was smaller than Sirius's, a queen size. But like Sirius's it was inviting.

"Ready to see your room?" Sirius asked. Harry nodded and followed Sirius out to the corridor. There were two doors on the right hand side. Sirius opened the first one.

"This is your own bathroom. You can enter it through this door or there's a door in your room." Sirius moved the second door and opened it. "This is your room."

Harry entered the room, letting his jaw slack. The room was painted Gryffindor red. The bed was a full size, with a blue comforter. There was a desk against the wall beside the door that would let to the bathroom. At the foot of his bed was a blue armchair, with a small table beside it. A bureau was against the wall a few inches from the armchair and beside the door was another door.

"Closet," Remus explained.

Harry looked around the room, in awe of the whole thing. "It's perfect."

Sirius smiled. "I thought you could decorate it however you like. We could go to Diagon Alley and get some posters for the walls, a different lamp. We picked the comforter and sheet set because you needed somewhere to sleep and….."

"Sirius." Harry laid his hand on his godfather's shoulder, causing Sirius to stop talking. "It's fine."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Later that night, Sirius went to Harry's room to check and see how he was doing. He found Harry, fast asleep under the covers. He smiled at how cute Harry looked when he was sleeping. It reminded him of when Harry was a baby. He leaned over and kissed his forehead, whispering "Good night."

Sirius turned to leave when he noticed that Harry had dumped his clothes into a laundry basket, sitting in the armchair. He picked it up and carried it downstairs.

He sorted through the clothes, dividing them between white, darks, and lights. It was when he was sorting the clothes that he noticed how big some of it was. What he wore home wasn't big. They had fit him, not like the other clothes he had.

Sirius walked out to the kitchen where they had written a list of things they needed to pick up when they went out tomorrow. He added 'clothes for Harry' to the list.

He figured they would have to get everything, judging from the looks of the clothes Sirius found in the basket.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Remus woke up the next morning to a bang from downstairs. He jumped out of bed, wondering what the old mutt was up to. He opened the door and headed to the stairs, only to come face to face with Sirius. They both looked at each other, not saying a word and then ran downstairs to the kitchen.

They stopped when they reached the doorway from the main hallway to the kitchen.

The bang had been Harry, making breakfast. The three were frozen on the spot until Harry broke the silence. "Breakfast is ready."

Sirius and Remus turned to the table to find a platter of eggs, sausage, and bacon. Another platter had enough waffles on it for them each to have two apiece.

Remus led Harry to the table, after flicking his wand at the mess in the sink. "Thanks Cub. But you didn't have to."

"I know. But I wanted to," Harry said.

They sat down to the breakfast Harry had prepared. The first few minutes were passing platters to one another and filling cups of tea and a glass of pumpkin juice.

Soon the only sound in the kitchen was the clacking of forks hitting plates, spoons being gently tapped against the side of bowls or teacups. Sirius took a bite of the eggs and found himself in shock.

"Merlin's beard, Harry, this is good," he complemented.

"Thanks," Harry replied, smiling slightly.

"The waffles are really good. They melt in my mouth," Remus added.

Harry slowly dug into his breakfast, pausing for a second with Sirius dumped another helping of eggs on his plate.

"You didn't give yourself enough," Sirius replied.

Remus watched the exchange from across the table. He was still in shock that Harry had made breakfast. "You cooked when you lived with your relatives didn't you?"

Harry nodded, quietly. Sirius hooked his hand under Harry's chin and gently turned his head to face his godfather.

"Unless you want to, you don't have to do the cooking," Sirius told him. He smiled. "I do have to say that this is really good."

"Thanks."

After breakfast, Harry headed back to his room to take a shower and change clothes for the day. He and Sirius were going to Diagon Alley. Sirius remained in the kitchen with Remus.

"I think we need to make an appointment with a mind healer. Children who are abused, seem have problems, but Harry doesn't seem to."

Sirius nodded. He was seeing a mind healer to help deal with his time in Azkaban and he wondered if he would be able to help him with Harry or he would be someone he could take Harry to.

"We also need to make an appointment with Healer Morris. Poppy said that according to her records, he has never been to the doctor, and from what I gathered from Harry, he's never gone. Only when it was a had too."

Remus added them to the list of things they needed to over the next week. Of course, they had other plans over the summer. The World Cup was later in the summer, was one thing that Sirius was going to do with Harry. They decided to let Harry decide where they went and what they did.

They wanted to give Harry what he was neglected in his childhood, especially love.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Sirius pulled into the car park near the Leaky Cauldron. Harry had asked why they were driving when Sirius said that they would be going to a few Muggle shops as well. Lily had taken Sirius and James shopping in Muggle London many times before and after she married James. Sirius was comfortable walking around Muggle London and had spent some time exploring the city. He had seen some shops that he thought Harry might like on his way to King's Cross the day before.

They walked to the Leaky and to the brick wall that was the entrance to Diagon Alley. The first stop was Gringotts to get some money out to make the purchases they needed to make. After the ride in the cart, Harry and Sirius visited their vaults to get some money out. Professor Dumbledore had given Sirius a copy of James and Lily's will. It also included the amount of galleons that was in Harry trust vault.

Sirius's eyes bulged out of their sockets. The amount of money in the vault was more than enough for Harry's education. But James had put a side note on the slip and said that pocket money when he got old enough to go to Hogsmeade was included. Even if Harry bought him and his friends the best racing room and Hermione a library full of books, there would still be a lot of money left.

After they finished in their vaults, they made their way back to the lobby, stopping at the desk where Sirius could convert some of the galleons into Muggle money.

Once they were finished, the first stop was Madam Malkin's for robes and other clothes. Sirius was looking at the dress robes while Harry was being fitted for his robes. He remembered Professor Dumbledore saying that fourth year would require dress robes and he decided to save that for when they came back for school shopping.

Sirius only had purchased two robes since Harry mainly wore Muggle clothing around the house and on the weekends at school. Once the robes were finished, Sirius helped Harry pick out some new shirts, pants, and jumpers.

"I figured you needed some new clothes," Sirius said, in an undertone voice.

"I did. Most of the clothes that fit were the ones that Mrs. Weasley made or Hermione had shrunk."

When Harry and Sirius had an arm load of clothes, they made their way to the check out. Sirius paid for them and then he and Harry headed on to the other shops in Diagon Alley.

"Quidditch store next?" Sirius asked.

"Read my mind," Harry replied with a smile. Once inside the busy Quidditch store, Harry made his way to where the posters and books were. He selected a few posters of his favorite team, Puddlemere United. It was an additional bonus that Oliver Wood made their reserve team.

"You can get a few more if you want."

Harry turned to Sirius after he spoke. The one thing that Harry couldn't get over is that he had a room he could decorate to suit himself. He had a say in what went where and what to put in it.

"I was thinking of getting a Gryffindor banner," Harry said.

"I figured you did." Sirius pulled out the Gryffindor banner he was holding behind his back. Harry looked it over. It was red with a lion in the middle and the house crest. Nodding, Harry took the banner and added to his pile.

Two Quidditch Posters, a banner, a schedule for the World Cup, and a toy snitch later, Harry had finished at the Quidditch store.

As they walked around Diagon Alley one more time, Sirius couldn't help but smile. He was living the life he was hoping for, for twelve years. They stopped at Eeylops to get some things for Hedwig before they headed back to the Leaky for some lunch and to head into Muggle London.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry hung up the last shirt. He stood back in the middle of the room and turned around smiling as he looked over his room. The closet and bureau were filled with clothes that fit him, including shoes, socks and underwear. His face still blushed three shades of crimson when Sirius asked, a little loudly "Boxers or briefs?"

The posters and the banner were hung up, the picture of his parents was on his nightstand with a new frame and on his desk was a lamp and a framed picture of him, Hermione, and Ron that was taken last year at Christmas.

The room was starting to look lived in. A hamper in his bathroom was added for his laundry. On the door to his room was a funny sign that Sirius found in a shop in Muggle London.

'Warning! This room belongs to a Teenager! Enter at Your Own Risk!'

Harry thought it was funny and had added it to the cart in which Sirius had placed towels, wash cloths, and hand towels for Harry's bathroom, along with a few decorative items.

Lying down on his bed, Harry thought of his life before with his relative. He wouldn't have to worry about starving, the endless chores, the abuse, or anything he had dealt with when he lived with his relatives again.

He had only been living there for forty eight hours and he loved it here. Here, he had a warm bed, with warm blankets, sheets, comforters, and quilts. He didn't have to do any chores, just keep his room straightened up. He didn't go to bed with an empty stomach, instead his stomach was full, like it was right now. Sirius's fried chicken and potatoes was sitting well in his belly and it was just the beginning of a life in which he didn't have to worry about getting beaten, worked to the bone, or starved.

Harry smiled, as he thought of how his life had changed, if for the better. It was the beginning of a new life. He placed his hands behind his head and looked up at the ceiling.

"I think I'm gonna like it here."

 **AN: First off, Harry is very happy and excited about going to live with his godfather. That's why he might be a little out of character in the beginning. But then, if you found out you didn't have to live with the Dursleys anymore would you be happy?**

 **Second, thank you for the reviews, favorites, and following, so far. To answer a review question, No Sirius and Remus are not in a relationship, just good friends who live together. If you have a suggestion of something you would like to see in this series, please reply in a review or PM.**


	3. Halloween Comfort

**Halloween Comfort**

 **Summary: Halloween had arrived and Sirius gives Harry some comfort.**

Halloween had arrived at Hogwarts, bringing with it a chilly wind and gloomy weather. The sky was overcast, looking like at any moment, it would start to rain. Tonight, the students would gather in the Great Hall for the Halloween feast. For the seventh years, they cherished this moment, as it would be their last. The first years looked forward to their first one, having heard from the other students of all the sweets that would be served. For Madam Pomfrey, the mediwitch, she was busy brewing enough stomach soothers to help with any student who came to her with a stomach ache.

Everyone was talking, very excitedly about the feast that night. Well, almost everyone. At the Gryffindor table, Harry sat in the middle of the table, surrounded by seventh years on one side and first years on the other. He sat at the table, not really talking and playing with his breakfast. Hermione handed Harry a muffin with a stern face that told him to eat that. The muffin, five minutes later, half eaten was a pile of crumbs.

Harry wanted nothing more than for the day to end. As with every year on the day of the Halloween feast, afternoon classes were cancelled. Of all the feasts at Hogwarts, the Halloween one was among the favorites. But for Harry, Halloween wasn't a day of All Hallows Eve and Death day parties. It was the day his parents had been murdered by Voldemort. He didn't know this until he looked up his parents in the library. It was during his second year, when Hermione was looking for ways to find out who the Heir of Slytherin is.

It was confirmed when Sirius took him to their graves the summer before fourth year, when he had moved in with Sirius.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Then, without another word, Harry got up from the table and gathered his stuff. "I'll see you in Charms."

Ron and Hermione watched as Harry left the Great Hall, only pausing to stop at the group of fourth years and whisper something to Ginny and kiss her cheek. Then he went out the doors.

As Harry walked to the Charms corridor, he thought of Halloweens past. His first year, Professor Quirrell had let a Mountain Troll in to distract everyone and disrupted the feast, the Mountain Troll then went to the girls bathroom where Hermione was. Ron and Harry came to tell her and ended up saving her. That was the one good thing about Halloween. Harry, Ron, and Hermione became friends.

They now celebrated their friendship anniversary, as Hermione called it, with lunch at the Three Broomsticks, where they would argue over who would pay. Harry often won.

Then his second year, Sir Nicolas's Death Day party, and the Chamber of Secrets opening. That was the start of a long year with things to come. Third year, was when Sirius had attacked the Fat Lady, trying to get into Gryffindor tower. To this day, she is still afraid of Sirius, even after his many, many, many apologies.

And last year, Harry wanted to put the whole of last year out of his mind. Last year, on Halloween, he was chosen to compete in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. The events of last year were still fresh in his mind. That was a distraction from what had happened on Halloween thirteen years ago.

He entered the classroom and got out the homework from the previous class. He then laid his head down, wishing that the day was over with all ready.

He never told Ron or Hermione about his discovery, only Remus and Sirius. It had come out when Harry told his godfather and Uncle Moony about his first three years of Hogwarts. Sirius had hugged Harry after words and told him every story he could think of about James and Lily. Then Sirius moved on to Baby Harry stories and told how he was the apple of his parents' eyes and their greatest joy.

Sirius even told Harry that he was thrilled to be named his godfather and that he was the third person to hold him after he was born and of course, after his parents. Then Sirius told Harry that his love for him never changed, even thought it had been at the time twelve years since he had seen his godfather. Sirius still remembers to this day, every time he came to Godric's Hollow, holding and playing with Harry brought a smile to his face, no matter what day he had.

Harry sat up when heard the other students enter the room. Neville passed him and sat in the seat behind him.

"Are you alright, Harry?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just didn't sleep much last night," Harry replied. He wished the day would hurry up and end.

Back in the Great Hall, Ron and Hermione were finishing breakfast. They didn't talk, but both were concerned about Harry. When finished eating, they headed to Charms. Hermione was wracking her brain to figure out the sudden change in Harry's behavior. Nothing stood out to her.

"May be it's because there's been something going on, on Halloween for the last four years."

Hermione shrugged her shoulders and they were on their way to Charms. Ron headed to his chair beside Harry and Hermione was behind them, sitting with Neville.

"I was thinking we could…." Hermione was cut off when Ron asked Harry, "Are we going flying later?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know if I will."

After he said, Harry thought of the idea of flying with Ron after classes ended for the day. Flying was a way that Harry distressed. He was able to clear his head and think when he was in the air. He did a lot of flying over the summer and walking the grounds.

"Okay."

Harry laid his head down on the table, resting his head. When the bell rang, he sat up and got out his Charms book, some parchment and quills and last week's homework.

As Professor Flitwick began to lecture, Harry began to think that it would be a long day.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Sirius had sat at the head table watching Harry play with his breakfast. He was about to get up and do something when Hermione handed Harry a muffin. Sirius watched Harry take a few bites off of it, and then suddenly it was nothing but a pile of crumbs.

He knew what was going on. He hated this day as well. The downside for Sirius was since it was a Tuesday, he and Remus didn't have any classes that day, but they did have some grading to do.

Over the summer, Dumbledore approached Remus and Sirius to teach Defense against the Dark Arts. Sirius had immediately agreed, since he had been teaching Astronomy last year, and had loved teaching, but he loved being close to Harry. The events of last year came to Sirius's mind, which made him grateful he was close by and be a source of support for his godson.

The summer itself was long, with Harry's nightmares, meetings at the Ministry with the new minister, Rufus Scrimgeour and the mind Healer that Dumbledore recommended. Harry had been released from the healer's care and handed him over to his primary care healer, Healer Morris. Sirius had his card if they needed him again.

"Sirius?"

Turning his head, he found Remus looking at him, concern evident on his face.

"I'm worried about Harry," Sirius whispered to the werewolf. Remus nodded his head slowly, turning his head back to the students and sipped his tea.

They both knew this day would be hard. It was still, even after all these years. Sirius, especially, since he was there that night.

Getting up from the table, Sirius walked out the door, outside towards the grounds. He knew he was being followed when he stepped off the last step. He walked along the same path he and James did many times during their time at Hogwarts.

Remus walked beside him, waiting for Sirius to say anything.

"I miss him," Sirius finally said. "I miss him, so much. Him and Lily."

Remus gazed out to the Black Lake, smiling a bit at the beautiful landscape in front of him.

"I miss him too." Placing a friendly arm around Sirius's shoulder, Remus continued. "I remember the nights we spent together in our dorm, talking until the late hours. James was the leader of our little group, even thought he hated to admit it."

"I remember the night I ran away from home. He answered the door when I knocked and his mother came behind him. We stayed up that night and I told James everything that happened since our first year." At Remus's questioning look, Sirius explained, "Mum didn't stop at the Howler."

Remus chuckled. "Remember when James told us he was going to marry Lily?" he asked.

"Which time?" Sirius countered.

"The last time. When he proposed."

Sirius nodded. "I still remember the day he and Lily told us they were expecting Harry."

Remus smiled as the day came back to him. James was on cloud nine for weeks. Until Dumbledore lowered the boom and told James and Lily about the prophecy, and they went into hiding. That was when life started to get difficult.

Sirius and Remus were frequent visitors and had been there when Lily went into labor. Twenty hours later, Harry came into the world and into their lives.

Harry was James and Lily's pride and joy. Sirius fulfilled the role of godfather well and loved spending time with Harry. He was at the Potter's every chance he got. He didn't care if Harry gave him a wakeup call at five or six in the morning.

Then Halloween came, and life as they knew it changed. Sirius went to Azkaban, Harry went to Privet Drive and Remus had thrown himself into his work, only for him to lose his job a month later.

It was hard for Sirius to believe that here they were fourteen years later and they were together again. It had taken twelve years, but they were together, the way James and Lily figured they would if something happened to them.

"You know, sometimes I look at Harry and I see James and then I'll look at him and I see Lily," Remus's voice brought Sirius back to the present. Thinking of his oldest friend said, Sirius agreed. Personality wise, Harry was a combination of James and Lily. Like James, Harry had a mischievous side and would pull an occasional prank. He wasn't arrogant like James could be, but he could be sarcastic like James could be.

He was also a heavy sleeper like James was. Sirius had carried Harry up to bed before and was surprised that Harry never once woke up. There was no question he got James's talent on a broom and on the Quidditch pitch. Sirius knew James would be proud of Harry making the team as a seeker in his first year.

Like Lily, Harry was sweet, kind, and generous. When Sirius would watch Harry work on homework or in class, he did the same things that Lily did. Harry would scratch his head like Lily did when she was concentrating hard on something. He would also brush the feather of his quill on his nose like Lily did.

When he was getting really serious in his school work, Harry would stick his tongue out on the right side of his mouth, like James did.

Sirius had pointed these things out to Harry and that ended with Sirius telling Harry all of his stories about James and himself.

Over the last year, Sirius learned that when Harry got sick, he tended to act a lot younger than what he was. Remus reminded Sirius that was like James.

"You know," Sirius began. "Even thought we don't have Prongs, we should be grateful we have Prongslet."

Remus nodded. He looked up towards the sky, and smiled. "Thank you, Prongs. I promise we'll take care of Harry. We'll make you proud."

With an arm around each other, Sirius and Remus walked back to the castle, realizing that it was now after lunch. They headed to the kitchen for some lunch and then back to their quarters where they would do some grading.

Sirius decided that once they were done, he would go find Harry and see how he was doing on this day, the anniversary of his parent's death.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Harry, come on, we're going to be late for the feast," Hermione called from the common room, up to the boy's dorms. When the raven headed teen didn't show up, Ron and Hermione shared a look, before they headed up the stairs. Ron entered the dorm and found Harry, lying on his bed, his back to Ron.

"Harry? Are you alright?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Harry murmured. "I'm not going to the feast. I'm going to go Sirius's quarters and hang out with them.

"Okay, are you sure?" Hermione asked.

"I'm sure. I'm actually going to head there now. See you later." Without another word to his best friends, Harry left his dorm and then out the portrait hole. He headed down the corridors and down the stairs towards the Defense corridor. He slipped into Sirius and Remus's shared quarters and into his room.

He laid down on the bed and curled on his side, hugging a pillow. On his nightstand was a moving picture of his parents. Harry watched the scene replay, sighing. Not able to look at the picture anymore, Harry turned on his right side, facing the wall. He took a few shaky breaths before he lost the battle with his emotions he had been holding in all day.

Harry didn't know how long he laid there, his shoulders shaking with muffled sobs when he felt a hand on his back. His teary eyes looked up and found his godfather looking back at him, his own eyes looked red and puffy.

Without warning, Harry launched himself into Sirius's arms, and began to sob in his shoulder.

"No one knows how much I hate this day," Harry said in a shaky voice. "They don't know how it affects me. While they celebrate the holiday and eat candy and treats, I grieve my parents."

Sirius hugged Harry little tighter, letting him release the buildup emotion.

"Come on," Sirius said after a while. Harry led Sirius led him off to somewhere Sirius wanted to go. He didn't question him when Sirius wrapped his jacket around his shoulders. They walked down to the gate where they could apparate, Harry pulled his arms in the sleeves of his jacket.

They disappeared with a pop and appeared in a village square.

"Where are we, Sirius?" Harry asked.

Sirius didn't answer, but led Harry down a familiar path. It wasn't until they were at kissing gate that Harry knew where they were.

"I brought you here, to visit their grave like we did for Mother's Day and Father's Day this year," Sirius explained.

Then in the blink of an eye, Harry was standing in front of his parent's grave. He sniffled, and took a shaky breath.

As he looked at the grave, he was reminded of the loss and grief that he had suffered on this day. The emotions returned, this time, like an inferno. It threatened to overcome him

"Mum! Dad!" Harry's voice was quiet, but Sirius heard it and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. What started as a single tear on its own, because a cascade of tears that kept pouring from Harry's eyes.

"I miss you," Harry hiccupped. "I miss you much." Then suddenly, Harry shouted, "WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME?"

Sirius pulled Harry to him, hugging the sobbing teen tightly, offering comfort. He could feel Harry shaking with emotion and his shaky voice keep asking "why did you leave me?"

Then Harry pulled away from Sirius. "I wish they were here Sirius. I love you, but I need them to."

Sirius embraced Harry once more and whispered, "I wish they were here too, kiddo. I miss them so much. Especially your Dad. If I screw up raising you…."

Harry cut Sirius off. "You've done a good job so far. You've been here for me on days like these. You've stood by me when times got hard, last year for example. You took care of me when I got sick, sitting by my bed, rubbing my back when I threw up, and nursing me back to health. Made sure I ate when I was supposed to and helped me when I needed it. Want me to go on Sirius?"

Sirius smiled and pulled Harry to him. "I needed to hear that Pup. Thanks."

They stood there, grieving together and hugging each other. Sirius remembered his best friend, who was his brother in everything but blood. He smiled for a second when he thought of the relationship between Harry and Ron. He also remembered Lily, who became a good friend after she and James started dating.

Harry grieved for the parents he doesn't remember. He only knows what they look like thanks to pictures and seeing them in the mirror of erised. He wished for many years that he would be rescued from his relatives. That wish came true last summer when he went to live with Sirius.

Standing there for another minute and then they made their way to the village square. They disappeared with a pop.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry laid in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. It was now November first, Angelina had scheduled Quidditch practice, Professor McGonagall's essay on Vanishing charms was due that day. For Herbology, they were to read about fanged geranium. With everything yesterday, Harry forgot. He would need to get Hermione to give him a review.

"Harry, are you up?"

Ron's voice brought Harry back to the present. He pushed the quilt back and got up, heading to the bathroom for a shower.

"Morning," he mumbled, heading into his usual stall. He stepped out five minutes later, towel wrapped around his waist. He picked up his toothbrush and began to brush his teeth.

"Are you alright?" Ron inquired.

"I'm okay, just." Harry trailed off for a second. "Yesterday wasn't a good day."

Ron smiled sympathetically, and patted Harry on the shoulder as he left the bathroom. Dressed in clean boxers, Harry left the bathroom and began to get dressed for the day.

Heading down to breakfast, Harry asked Hermione if she could give him a review for Herbology. She handed him a copy of the notes she took on the fanged geranium.

"I was thinking we could meet in the library later?" Hermione looked from Ron to Harry.

"Quidditch practice," they replied at the same time, causing them to laugh.

Hermione sighed and turned to Harry. "Are you okay today?"

"Yeah," Harry replied, looking up at the head table where Sirius was sitting. They locked eyes for a second and smiled. "I'm okay."

Hermione and Ron shared a knowing look. They knew that Halloween was a hard Holiday for Harry, but had made a promise to be there when Harry needed them. They were happy that he had someone like Sirius, who he could share the grief with and not keep it bottled up.

Not for the first time, Harry was grateful to have Sirius in his life. Together they could get through what came their way. Together, they could give each other comfort, especially some Halloween comfort.

 **AN: I know it's sad, but I wanted to give Harry some comfort on the day that would be hard. It's not easy on the days of anniversaries of someone's passing. Happier times are head so stay tuned.**


	4. Sirius's Birthday

**Sirius's Birthday**

 **Summary: It's Sirius's birthday, his first one outside of Azkaban. Harry and Remus try to make it the best one to make up for the twelve years of missed birthdays.**

 **AN: This takes place in Goblet of Fire. I know that Sirius's birthday is three days after Harry's name coming out of Goblet of Fire and Harry's and Ron's fight. For the sake of this fic, I'm ignoring Harry and Ron's fight, and pretending they had an understanding.**

Harry slammed a hand on the alarm clock on his nightstand and pushed the duvet off of him. He stretched once his feet hit the floor and shuffled his way to the bathroom. He got a shower and then dressed in the clothes he had laid out the night before. Slipping back into the dorm room, Harry picked up his rucksack and his duffle bag that he had placed his uniform in to change into.

"What are you doing up so early, mate?" Ron asked, sitting up in his bed. His voice sounded groggily as if he had just woken up.

"Sirius's birthday is today and I'm surprising him with breakfast," Harry replied.

"Okay." The snores told Harry that Ron went back to sleep. The alarm clock told him it was five thirty. Sirius got up at six for some reason Harry couldn't figure out. He knew he had thirty minutes to get down to Sirius's quarters and make him breakfast before he woke up.

Sneaking out of Gryffindor tower was the easy part, making to Sirius's quarters without being spotted was the hard part. Harry had only escaped Gryffindor tower twice since Sirius had taken guardianship over Harry. The first time was a night in early October and Harry had a nightmare that something happened to Sirius. He couldn't get back to sleep without knowing Sirius was safe. Professor McGonagall was patrolling that night and Harry had explained why he was out in the middle of the night before his head of house would scold him. She walked Harry to Sirius's quarters, where Harry said he would be staying with Sirius. He did, he even slept with Sirius, not wanting to be alone.

The second time was a few nights ago after Harry's name had came out of the Goblet of Fire. Sirius's quarters became Harry's safe haven, a place he could escape to. He had taken the map and the invisibility cloak that time and managed to get there before Sirius went to bed.

Harry made it Sirius's quarters and whispered the password to the ogre that guarded Sirius's quarters.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

The ogre moved aside and Harry entered Sirius's quarters. His quarters were found in the Astronomy department. He was filling in while Professor Sinistra was gone on a star gazing trip and research sabbatical. Sirius never told Harry and left it to be a surprise when he got to Hogwarts.

While some teenagers would hate to have their parent or parental figure at their school, Harry was thrilled. For the first time, Harry didn't look forward to going back to Hogwarts. He didn't want to leave Sirius and had actually literally broken down in Sirius's lap on August 31st. He was surprised when Sirius was at the head table when he arrived at Hogwarts.

Remus had written Harry telling him he was coming up to Hogwarts to see him and Sirius one weekend. After learning when Sirius's birthday was and as it got closer, Harry and Remus had exchanged many letters discussing what they could do for Sirius's birthday. Deciding he wanted to pay Sirius back for what he did for his birthday, Harry decided to sneak down to Sirius's quarters and make the two of them breakfast.

Quietly as he could, Harry walked to the small kitchenette. He opened the cold box and pulled out the eggs, sausage, and bacon. Once he had collected what he needed, he sat to work, being quiet as he could, he didn't want to wake up Sirius and spoil the surprise.

He thought back to his birthday that summer. Sirius has surprised Harry with his favorite breakfast, pancakes with sausage. Once he finished breakfast and dressed for the day, Sirius took him to London, where he bought Harry some more clothes, this time for some long sleeve shirts, winter weight jackets and pajamas, sweaters, and jeans. He included hoodies and a coat as it got cold in Scotland and Harry wore hoodies in the castle on the weekends. They made a pit stop to Diagon Alley for some treats and food for Hedwig and Sirius's owl, Bucky.

Once they were finished in Diagon Alley, they drove back home as they were out of floo powder and had anti-apparition wards around the property, plus Sirius was planning a surprise party for Harry and figured driving would give Remus enough time to get ready for the party.

They returned home and Harry took all the bags upstairs to his room. When he came back, Sirius said that Remus was waiting for them outside. When he came outside, he was shocked to find, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and the rest of the Weasleys there. They played Quidditch, ate, played Quidditch, and went walking around the property and the wards.

Ron and Hermione stayed the night with Harry. Hermione and Harry introduced Ron to homemade pizza and they ate sundaes while watching movies. They camped out in the TV room and had stayed up until one in the morning talking. About the new school year, the World Cup, and about what they did that summer.

Harry had thanked Sirius a million times over for doing that for him. He had never had a birthday party and he tensed Sirius he didn't know how he would top it next year. Sirius just smiled and said wait and see.

Now he was returning the favor to Sirius. He wanted to make it special with it being Sirius's first birthday outside of Azkaban and with Harry.

He just hoped that Sirius has a good day.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Sirius woke up when the sun shined through the window. Why anyone would put a window there, he didn't know. He knew he would need to buy some curtains for that window. He sat up and stretched, scratching his head. He turned to get out of bed when he inhaled a scent of eggs, bacon, and sausage. He was about to get up and investigate when the door opened and Harry's head poked in.

"Good morning, Prongslet," Sirius greeted, his voice sounding a little grizzly.

"Good morning, Sirius. Happy birthday."

"Thanks." Sirius slipped on the slippers Remus had bought him and got up from the bed, walking towards the door. He embraced Harry in a hug as he passed his godson on his way to the bathroom. When he emerged he headed into the sitting room. He stopped at the sight of the table set for two with breakfast already served, a cup of tea in front of one and a glass of orange juice beside the other.

"Did you do all of this?" Sirius asked, turning to Harry.

"Yeah, except for the tea. I had Dobby bring me some from the kitchen."

Sirius approached his godson and embraced him in another hug. "Thanks, Harry."

"I thought I would return the favor since you made be breakfast for my birthday."

Sirius smiled softly, knowing that no one had done anything special for Harry on his birthday before. He knew, with there being classes on that day that he wouldn't be seeing much of Harry that day, only in between classes. But what Sirius didn't know was the plans that Harry and Remus had for the rest of the day and that evening.

Sitting down to breakfast reminded Sirius of Harry's first morning at his home or new home. He was surprised at how good everything was and when Harry went to bed that night, he and Remus discussed how Harry knew how to cook. Most thirteen years didn't know how to cook, let out fix breakfast that consisted of eggs, bacon, and sausage with waffles. Nothing was burned and everything was cooked to perfection.

They learned that Harry was forced to do the cooking, cleaning, and in general the job of a house elf and sadly, was treated like one.

The breakfast conversation consisted of what they had planned for the day. Sirius then began to tell Harry one of his favorite birthday memories. It was the one after Harry was born and it was mainly because before now, that was the last time that Harry had been with Sirius on his birthday. He didn't talk about his birthdays in prison, rather decided to talk about birthdays past.

Birthdays spent with James and Remus in the Hogwarts kitchen, eating cake and talking. Peter was there too, but Sirius didn't like to talk about him anymore.

"Thanks for breakfast, Pup," Sirius said, cleaning the table with a flick of his wand.

"You're welcome."

They continued to talk until it was time for Harry to change into his uniform. A part of him wanted to stay in the cocoon of his godfather's quarters. Ever since his name came out of the goblet of fire, those who weren't Gryffindor or who knew him well enough, had been acting coldly towards him.

If it wasn't for the fact that Ron had dragged him out of bed the morning after, he would have stayed in bed and not leave his dorm for anything. But having Ron, Hermione, George, Fred, Ginny, and Neville's support, he was getting by. He also had his entire house in his corner, as some of the older students kept an eye on him.

Sirius had also kept a close eye on his godson and had threatened Barty Crouch if anything happened to Harry, he would have his head. Professor Dumbledore had even warned Barty that Sirius wasn't kidding. It was no secret that Sirius was protective of Harry, extremely sometimes.

Harry came back into the sitting room, dressed his uniform. He had chosen to go with the sweater today as the weather was getting chilly and the castle would get drafty towards evening time.

"Have a good day, Prongslet," Sirius said as they both walked towards the Great Hall.

"You too, Sirius."

When they reached the Great Hall, Harry headed to the Gryffindor table, while Sirius headed to the head table. He had just sat down and fixed himself a cup of tea when someone cleared their throat.

Sirius turned and found Dobby standing in front of him. Dobby pulled out a harmonica and blew it once. Then he broke into song.

 _Happy Birthday to You_

 _Happy Birthday to You_

 _Happy Birthday dear Master Sirius_

 _Happy Birthday to You!_

By the second verse, everyone figured out what was going on and had joined in, only saying dear Sirius instead of Master Sirius.

Sirius blushed, smiling brightly as everyone had clapped after Dobby had finished.

"May you have many more birthdays, Sirius," Professor McGonagall said, leaning towards her former student and lion.

Sirius nodded his thanks, and nodded to Professor Dumbledore, who lifted his goblet towards him. Looking towards where Harry was sitting with Ron and Hermione, he saw Dobby had approached Harry and his godson had slipped something into the elf's hand, and then whisper something in the elf's ear. Then Dobby nodded and disappeared with a pop.

Standing up, Sirius headed to the Gryffindor table. He was greeted by various students telling him happy birthday as he approached his godson.

"Whose idea was that?" he asked, once he had approached the table.

"Mine," Harry answered.

"It was brilliant." Sirius ruffled Harry's hair and headed out to the Astronomy classroom where he would spend the morning grading.

Harry left to head to his dorm where he dropped off the memory of Dobby singing Happy Birthday to Sirius, in a vial to send to Remus, who had asked to see it when he heard of the teen's plan. Then he had to run to make it to Transfiguration in time. Upon arrival, he learned that Moody had come down with a horrible cold and that Madam Pomfrey had forbidden him to teach for the rest of the week. Meaning, he had the afternoon free to get ready for that evening.

"So, what are you and Remus going to do for Sirius's birthday?" Hermione asked.

"Well, Dobby is taking care of most of the dinner, leaving Sirius's meal to Remus, at his request, and the cake." Before Hermione could rant, Harry continued. "He's employed by Sirius, but he'll work in the kitchens or when we need something while we're here. He's being paid for his service, don't worry."

"What is he fixing?" Ron asked, not surprising Hermione or Harry.

"I don't know yet. Actually, Remus asked me to extend an invitation to you two for the small party we're having for Sirius."

"I'm in," Ron answered.

"I'll come," Hermione added.

They both had picked out something for Sirius's birthday when they went to Hogsmeade. It wasn't much, just a little something for someone one who had become a friend to them and had given a better life for their best friend.

"Alright, I'll let Remus know."

Harry never paid much attention to the lesson in Transfiguration that day. His mind was on that afternoon and evening. He hoped that this would be one of the best birthdays Sirius had.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Happy Birthday, Padfoot," Remus greeted upon entering the Astronomy classroom.

Sirius smiled, approaching Remus for a hug. They embraced, patting each other on the back. When they broke apart, Remus followed Sirius back to his quarters.

"What brings you up here?" Sirius asked.

"Well, I thought I would come and spend the day with you and Harry. And celebrate your first birthday as a free man! So, put on something nice, I'm taking you out for lunch."

Sirius smiled at the idea and headed to his bedroom to change into better clothes from the old ones he had put on when he wouldn't be teaching and hanging around the castle. An opposite to Harry's T-shirts, sweatpants, and hoodies he was typically seen in on the weekends, unless he changed the sweatpants for jeans to go outside.

The two best friends walked towards the main entrance hall, which puzzled Sirius as to why they were going this way. He got his answer when he saw godson, standing beside the headmaster near the entrance hall.

"Have a nice lunch, gentlemen. And a Happy Birthday Sirius." With that Professor Dumbledore headed to the Great Hall.

Sirius, who was still surprised, asked, "Where are we going?"

"Three Broomsticks," Remus replied and motioned for Harry to follow them. They caught each other up with what was going on in their life. The Tri-Wizard Tournament, it was decided, was off limits.

"How did you do this Moony?" Sirius asked.

Remus smiled and looked at Harry on the other side of Sirius. "I have my ways."

Sirius followed Remus's gaze to his godson. "What?" He was stunned once more.

"Remus had written Professor Dumbledore and asked if he could pull me out for two hours after class and he agreed," Harry explained

They walked to The Three Broomsticks in silence until Sirius leaned over and whispered, "Thank you, Moony. This is how I wanted to spend my birthday. With my best friend and," Sirius paused and put his arm around Harry. "My favorite godson."

"I'm your only godson," Harry retorted.

Sirius chuckled and squeezed Harry's shoulder. "I know."

They entered the Three Broomsticks where they were seated at a table near the window. While Remus had chosen the cottage pie, Sirius chose steak and kidney pie. Harry couldn't stomach the kidney and decided to go with the Shepherd's pie. Three Butterbeers and a basket of bread appeared at the table.

When Sirius excused himself to go to the restroom, Remus asked Harry if he extended the invite for supper to Ron and Hermione.

"I did. Ron and Hermione had picked up something for Sirius as well. I'll have to go up the dorm and get my present and then I'll come back to Sirius's quarters. Ron and Hermione will come with me."

Remus nodded, sipping on the Butterbeer. Then he remembered something and asked Harry to send him a copy of the memory of Dobby serenading Sirius that morning. He did.

"I'll get it when I head up to the tower and get Sirius's present."

"What did you get me?"

The question made Harry jump and turn around, finding his godfather standing in front of him with a face of pure glee.

"You'll have to wait until later, Padfoot."

Once again Sirius ruffled Harry's hair, this time he got a grunt in return. The waitress brought them their lunch and they began reminiscing over the last year.

Remus quietly obverse as Sirius and Harry had gotten into a serious (no pun intended) conversation about Quidditch and who was going to win the Puddlemere United and Chudley Cannons match and the Appleby Arrows and Holyhead Harpies.

Of course, when the latter group was mentioned, Sirius and Remus noticed that Harry had blushed slightly when talking about the young Weasley girl, mentioning the Holyhead Harpies was Ginny's favorite team. Sirius had shared with Remus that Harry had suddenly became clumsy around the young redhead. They both figured it was only a matter of time before Harry would gather some courage and ask Ginny out.

The rest of lunch was spent with the birthday boy telling his favorite memories on this day.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry had returned to Sirius's quarters not long after they returned to the castle with Ron and Hermione in tow.

"Happy Birthday Sirius," Ron and Hermione both said at the same time. Sirius chuckled and said thank you. Suddenly Sirius started sniffing. His dog Animagus caused his hearing and sense of smell to be more prominent. It was how Sirius had figured out Harry had gotten sick after a particular bad fish and chip meal. Harry was the only one who had gotten sick and never told Sirius until he had found the teen retching in his bathroom.

"Remus, you didn't!" Sirius exclaimed.

Remus smiled. "I did."

Hermione and Ron looked at Harry confused and wordlessly asked what was going on.

"Remus made Sirius's favorite, steak cooked medium well, with gravy and mashed potatoes. There's roasted chicken for us," Harry explained.

Sitting down at the table, Remus served Sirius first as the three teens helped themselves to the meal. Remus, as it turned out, was a good cook. Even thought there were things that Sirius made better, Remus and Sirius shared the cooking responsibility, agreeing to let Harry help if he wanted to.

"This is good," Sirius commented.

Once dinner was over, Harry had retreated to his room where he had hidden Sirius's present. Ron and Hermione both handed Sirius their present once Harry had returned to the table.

"What's this?"

"Just a little something," Hermione explained.

Sirius tore off the paper and found a book about Astronomy. It had been an interest for Sirius since he could remember and he had been able to achieve a descent OWL and NEWTS grade.

"This is great. Thank you."

Hermione smiled, having known that Sirius would like the book. "You're welcome."

Ron handed Sirius the bag of sweets that he, Hermione, and Harry had picked out. "Oh, this is great. Thanks you two."

"Well," Hermione began. "We did have help." She turned and smiled at Harry. Sirius followed, smiling at his godson.

"This is mine." Harry handed Sirius his present. He had agonized over it for the last month of what to get Sirius. He had ordered a prank book by owl order and had wrapped it. But he felt that, the book wasn't enough.

When he went to Hogsmeade last weekend, he had found a frame for a picture of him and Sirius from the summer. It was of the two of them at the beach. Sirius had taken Harry to the coast for the weekend. They had a great time, despite the fact Harry had gotten sunburned.

Harry had taken the picture with Remus's help had made a copy of the picture. Taking Sirius's copy, Harry put it in a frame and placed it in a bag.

Now was the moment of truth. Harry watched as Sirius opened the box that Harry had placed the picture in. He hoped that Sirius liked his present.

Sirius opened the box and paused when he found the framed picture of him and Harry from their trip to the beach. He had wanted to frame the picture, but had never found the time to do it.

"Do you like it Sirius?" Harry asked, hesitantly.

Sirius looked up from the picture and his eyes met his godson's. He noticed something in Harry's eyes and that was fear. Was Harry afraid he didn't like what he had given him?"

"I love it," Sirius assured him. He then noticed there was another present for him from Harry. Sirius picked up the present and tore off the paper. He found that Harry had gotten him a prank book.

Harry sighed in relief, happy that Sirius like his present. Soon Harry felt himself being pulled in an embrace. He looked up and met the eyes of his godfather.

"Thank you, Harry. I love my presents. You didn't have to get me anything."

"I said the same thing on my birthday and you said what's a birthday without presents." Harry reminded him.

Sirius laughed. He did say that.

"Alright, Sirius. Cake time," Remus called from the kitchen.

"Do I get to blow out a candle?" Sirius asked, his voice sounding more like a little kid than an adult.

"No," Remus immediately answered. Cutting the cake, Remus served Sirius first and then Harry, Hermione, and Ron.

"This is really good," Ron commented. Hermione agreed.

"It makes your tongue want to slap your brains out, doesn't?" Sirius inquired.

"I don't know what to say to that," Harry retorted.

Sirius chuckled and reached over and ruffled Harry's hair. Harry let him, relishing in the small act of love.

Harry and Remus shared a look as Sirius was telling Ron and Hermione about his favorite birthday. For Remus and Harry, it was great to see Sirius smiling, laughing, and returning to the person that Remus remembered and had told Harry about. Remus figured Harry was a lot of the reason why Sirius had changed his ways when he was a baby, but he really changed when he was given custody of Harry.

They both were glad that Sirius's first birthday was a success. The smile on Sirius's face was the confirmation they needed.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry laid in his bed later that night, a smile gracing his face. He had hoped that Sirius's birthday was one of the best Sirius had in a long time. Sirius never acknowledged his birthday while in Azkaban and Harry wanted to make up for the thirteen birthdays that Sirius had missed like Sirius had with Harry that summer.

Remus was on board with Harry's idea and had begun making plans, listening to the input Harry had given him. Sirius really enjoyed the day like Harry had hoped he would.

Turning onto his side, Harry thought over the day once more. The room was quiet since Harry was staying in Sirius's quarters for the night to spend some time with him. Even thought Harry had class the next morning, he decided to stay with Sirius for the night.

He heard footsteps in the hallway and then the door to his room open. Harry closed his eyes to pretend to be asleep.

Sirius entered Harry's bedroom and found him asleep. He reached over and pushed back the stray hair. He watched Harry sleep for a minute before he bent over and kissed Harry's cheek.

"Good night, Pup," he whispered.

Once Sirius left Harry opened his eyes, realizing he had fooled his godfather. He laid awake for about five minutes before sleep claimed him.

Sirius peeked his head in once more and smiled at the sight of his sleeping godson. He couldn't help but smile when thought of the small party that Harry and Remus had pulled together. Even thought it was Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Remus, it was still fun.

He headed to his bedroom and went to bed. Before he fell asleep, he thought of how much his life had changed. He was free, he had custody of Harry and was getting to know his godson, and had his life back. With those happy thoughts, Sirius fell asleep.


	5. A Little to the Right

**A Little to the Right**

 **Summary: Harry wakes up with severe abdominal pain. A panicked Sirius rushes Harry to St. Mungo's where they learn he has appendicitis. Set in Fifth Year (OOTP).**

"Are you okay, Harry?" Hermione asked as they headed down to the train.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Harry answered shortly. He had woken up that morning not feeling well. His stomach hurt. He pushed it off to the stress of preparing for OWLs and went on to breakfast. At the sight of food, Harry suddenly felt nauseous. He had managed to nibble on a piece of toast before leaving the Great Hall. The Easter holidays had arrived and Harry and the gang were looking forward to the two week break.

After much discussion, Ron and Harry decided to talk Hermione into going home for Easter break. Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Neville were the only fifth years who were going home. They decided to use the two week break to relax and decompress.

And now, Harry was sick. He didn't want to tell Hermione, Ron or Ginny.

"Are you sure, mate?" Ron asked. "You don't look so good."

Harry muttered a "thanks Ron." He passed Neville and Luna and headed on to a compartment.

Ron and Hermione followed and found Harry had stretched out on the one bench, making Ron and Hermione share the one on the other side.

"I think he's sick, Ron," Hermione whispered.

"I think so too." Ron watched as Hermione leaned over and placed her palm against his forehead.

"He's warm," she whispered.

They both sat there, in silence until Hermione pulled out a book and Ron opened his rucksack and pulled out a Quidditch Magazine. Hermione glanced at it for a second, noticing Viktor Krum was on the cover. Someone had drawn a mustache on his upper lip and horns on his head. She noticed as Ron flipped through the magazine that every picture of the famous Quidditch player had some kind of drawing on it.

"Harry and I got bored," Ron explained when he noticed that Hermione was watching.

They went back to their reading, looking up occasionally at their best friend.

"Is Harry okay?" the voice broken Hermione and Ron out of their reading and brought Neville to their attention.

"He's not feeling well," Hermione answered. Neville accepted this and asked Ron if he wanted him to find Ginny.

They had gotten together after the Yule Ball. They spend the days following the dance together, playing in the snow, sitting by the fire, throwing marshmallows at each other, trying to catch one in their mouth, and cuddling on the couch at the end of the day, talking. No one had seen Harry so happy.

Now, they have been dating happily for a year. Seeing the young couple together brought a smile to everyone's face, except for Snape and the Slytherins.

Neville didn't have to go far to look for the redheaded girl, because Ginny came through the corridor of the train and stopped when she saw the concern on Neville's face and followed his gaze.

"Is he okay?" The voice brought everyone's attention to Ginny as she squeezed herself into the compartment. She kneeled down in front of Harry's stretched out form and pushed back his fringe. "Are you okay, babe?"

Harry's eyes cracked open and was met with the look of concern on his girlfriends face. He didn't want to lie to her, but didn't want to worry her either.

He sighed and decided he might as well tell her the truth. "My stomach hurts," he admitted.

"Was it something you ate?" Ginny inquired.

"I don't know, I woke up with it hurting."

Ginny didn't say anything, except pick Harry's feet and lay them on her lap. Hermione and Ron settled back in their seats, talking quietly, mainly about their concern for their best friend.

Over the years, Harry had been the topic of their quiet conversations. Mostly the conversation began when Hermione would quietly ask Ron if Harry was okay. Of course, the answers verified from he's tired from Quidditch practice, I think he said his head hurt or the rare occasion that Ron shared Hermione's concern.

Something things changed last summer when Harry went to live with Sirius. They both came to visit once Harry was settled in. It was during one afternoon that they were working on their homework together, talking about the World Cup and then finally, Hermione asked Harry about his life with his relatives.

He let it all out and by the time he reached the end of the story, Hermione was sobbing and Ron was ready to kill them, not undoubtedly with help from Hermione. True to their promise that they wouldn't treat Harry any different, they continued to talk and do the things they always done. When Harry's confinement was over, they celebrated Harry's new health by going into Muggle London for the day.

"Is he asleep?" Hermione whispered when she noticed Harry's eyes were shut.

"I don't think is he," Ginny replied.

"He's not, I can tell by his breathing," Ron informed the girls.

Suddenly, Harry shot up and out of the compartment with a hand over his mouth. Ron jumped up after him, telling the girls he got it as he left. Ron found Harry in the nearest toilet, retching.

"Jeez mate, are you okay?" Ron asked, leaning over to rub Harry's back.

"I think I got food poisoning." Harry groaned, feeling his stomach clench. "I think it was either the…" Harry didn't finish the thought. The thought had caused his nausea to return and Harry leaned over the toilet and released more of his stomach contents.

A knock at the closed toilet door, caused Ron to jump. "Is Harry okay, Ron?" Neville's voice came from the other side of the door.

"He'll be fine," Ron called. He thought for a second of his options, he could stay here and he and Harry could occupy the toilet until they reach London, or move Harry back to their compartment and find one of the twins to conjure a bucket.

"Want to move back to the compartment so you could lie down?" Ron asked.

Harry nodded. Ron helped Harry off the floor and found that he needed help.

"Neville are you still there?" Ron called, hoping he was.

"Yeah, Ron. What do you need?"

"Help me get Harry back to the compartment."

The door opened and Neville peaked his head in and then pushed the door open more. He then reached for Harry's left side and together, he and Ron led Harry back to the compartment.

"I think he has food poisoning," Ron told the girls when they entered the compartment.

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked.

"That's what he said." Ron and Hermione helped Harry lay down on the bench. Hermione had found a blanket and a pillow somewhere and Ginny came back from looking for the trolley lady and see if she had any water. She did.

"Here, sweetie, take a sip." Harry leaned his head up and sipped some of the water that Ginny had brought him.

Hermione glanced out the window and sighed silently in relief. They were five minutes away from London.

"We'll be home soon," she told the group. They spent the remaining time getting their stuff together and helping Harry.

How little did they know that Harry's food poisoning was something more serious.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Sirius stood beside Molly as he waited for the group to find them. Fred and George were the first to reach them and then the others followed. Upon seeing his godson, Sirius noticed that something was wrong. He looked pale and flushed like he did when he came down with the stomach flu early in the year. He looked tired and as he approached him, alarm bells were going off in Sirius's head.

"Are you okay, kiddo?" he asked.

"I think the chicken we ate last night was off," Harry told him. He didn't want to worry Sirius and at the moment, wanted nothing more but to lay down.

"Food poisoning?" Sirius guessed.

"He threw up on the train," Hermione informed him.

"Feel better soon, mate." Ron patted Harry's shoulder, before greeting Molly.

"I'll floo later and check on you. I hope you feel better tomorrow, sweetie. Love you," Ginny murmured, and then she kissed him. When they broke apart, Ginny whispered something in Harry's ear and he nodded before she headed off to where her family was waiting.

Hermione met her parents and also told Harry that she hoped he felt better.

Sirius wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders and led his godson out to the car. The drive from London was a long one for Harry, but he fell asleep twenty minutes in.

It seemed that Harry had just fallen asleep when Sirius woke him up.

"Let's get you upstairs to bed. You might feel better after some rest."

Harry didn't say anything, but nodded and followed Sirius into the house. They headed straight upstairs and into Harry's room. Once in his room, Harry gathered some pajamas and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower.

Once he was finished, he dressed in his pajamas and headed to bed. He noticed a little twinge in his right side.

Sirius came in his room once he was lying down. He placed the old bucket they used when someone was sick. "I brought you the bucket in case you feel like you need to throw up. Call for me, if you need me."

"Okay," Harry whispered, wincing as he felt another cramp roll his abdomen. He wished it would stop. His right side throbbed a little now. He didn't think much of it, thinking he must have pulled a muscle and went to sleep.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Sirius, wake up."

The whisper stirred Sirius from a deep sleep. He opened his eyes, trying to figure out what was going on.

A pained voice behind him said, "Sirius, please wake up."

Sirius turned on his back and found Harry doubled over at his bedside, clutching his stomach and a pained expression on his face. Immediately awake, Sirius jumped out of bed and beside his godson.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Harry winced and in his pain filled voice replied, "I have pain in my lower right side. It's really sharp, I've never had this pain before."

Sirius began to panic. Harry didn't have food poisoning. This was something else. A quick glance at the clock told him that it was one in the morning.

When Harry moaned in pain, Sirius was debating whether or not he should to take Harry to St. Mungo's, or to wait until morning. The only time Sirius had to rush Harry to St. Mungo's was when Harry was complaining of a bad stomachache. They learned that Harry was allergic to beans. He was able to eat green beans, but Sirius realized that there was kidney beans in the steak and kidney pie that they for supper that night. The severe abdominal pain that Harry was suffering from now wasn't like what he had suffered from before. This was worse.

"How bad is the pain?" Sirius asked, concern laced in his voice.

"It feels like I'm taking a Cruciatus curse to my stomach," Harry groaned. Sirius noticed Harry's arms were wrapped around his abdomen tightly. Then suddenly Harry started whimpering.

"Ow, my stomach really hurts," he whined. This made Sirius's decision on what to do easier and do go now.

"Okay, I'm going to change and we're going to St. Mungo's," Sirius announced. He stood up from the bed and grabbed the first shirt and pants his hands landed on. Once dressed, he slipped on some socks on Harry's feet and then picked him to carry him downstairs.

" _It hurts,"_ Harry whimpered.

"I know, kiddo. I'll make it better I promise."

Sirius grabbed a handful of floo powder and called "St. Mungo's" and they disappeared in a cloud of green smoke.

In Sirius's haste of rushing to St. Mungo's, he forgot to leave a note for Remus, who was due to return from a mission for Dumbledore the next morning.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry laid curled in a bed in the examination area of the emergency department of St. Mungo's, in a tight ball.

Upon arriving to St. Mungo's, Harry and Sirius were immediately taken back to an exam room. Healer Dalton was on shift that night and saw the two emerge from the floo.

"Sirius? What's wrong?" the healer asked.

Sirius turned to find Healer Dalton coming towards him. This time last year, he had taken Harry to see Healer Dalton for a consultation for a tonsillectomy due to the many bouts of Strep throat, Harry had been having. Madam Pomfrey recommended that Sirius take Harry to see Healer Morris. They were referred to Healer Dalton after the exam. Harry had the surgery two days later. It was a wonderful start to the Easter Holiday and Harry was guaranteed he would be recovered in time for the Third task.

Looks like this Easter Holiday was going to be spent the same way, only fixing whatever was paining Harry.

"He's complaining of severe abdominal pain." Sirius explained what had transpired over the last few hours.

Healer Dalton had Sirius lay Harry on the bed and he would go and collect Harry's file and gather the supplies he would need.

Now they were in the emergency department of St. Mungo's, waiting to find out what was wrong with Harry. Healer Dalton was writing notes from where he had questioned Sirius and Harry regarding the pain, how long it lasted, when it started, and so forth. He also made a note of Harry's vitals, mainly his temperature, which was high and a factor into what the healer was thinking that was going on with his patient.

"It's alright Prongslet," Sirius whispered. He was alarmed to see the fear in his godson's eyes as well as a few tears that leaked from Harry's eyes. Sirius wiped them with his hand. "I promise, you'll be okay."

Healer Dalton approached the bedside. "Harry, can you lay on your back for me?" he requested.

Harry slowly turned on to lie on his back, wincing at the pain in his side. It hurt to move. It felt like he was being stabbed in the side.

"Thank you," the healer murmured. "I'm going to examine your stomach. What I'm going to do is gently prod around on your abdomen. Harry, I want you to tell me if it hurts. Okay?"

Harry nodded, reaching for Sirius's hand, which he held in a vice grip, like Sirius's hand was a snitch. Sirius didn't complain.

Healer Dalton pulled up Harry's shirt, baring his belly. He began pressing around the upper part of Harry's abdomen moving to his right.

"Does it hurt anywhere here?" the healer asked, his fingers pressing on the middle of Harry's abdomen.

"No." Harry shook his head.

Healer Dalton pressed along Harry's lower abdomen, moving from left to right. When the healer's hands pressed in the lower right side of Harry's abdomen, he yelped in pain. He squeezed Sirius's hand tightly when the healer pressed on his right side.

"What's wrong?" Sirius demanded.

Healer Dalton called over his shoulder, "Betty, we need an ultrasound in here now."

"What's wrong?" Sirius repeated. "What's going on with my godson?" Sirius's voice was full of concern and was starting to get worried.

"I need to do an ultrasound to confirm it, but I think Harry had acute appendicitis," the healer explained.

Betty entered the room, pushing the cart with the ultrasound machine. She left the cart on the right side of Harry's bed and then got a gown from the bottom shelf of the cart. She handed Sirius the hospital gown.

"He'll need to change into this."

Sirius took the gown as Betty and Healer Dalton moved out of the way and pulled the curtain to give Harry and Sirius some privacy.

"Think you could get the shirt off on your own?" Sirius asked. Harry pulled his arms out of the sleeves and allowed Sirius to pull the shirt off. Helping Harry to stand, Sirius pushed off Harry's pajama pants, leaving the boxers for now.

He was just slipping the gown over Harry's head when Healer Dalton called, "Ready?"

"Yes," Sirius replied.

The healer came through the curtain with another healer and Betty.

Harry laid back on the bed as Healer Dalton pulled a sheet over Harry's lower half and then pulled up the gown.

"How old is he?" The healer that came in with Healer Dalton.

"Fifteen," Sirius answered.

"Have you had an ultrasound before Harry?" Healer Dalton asked. Harry nodded. He had one when he first went to live with Sirius. Healer Morris wanted to check Harry's abdomen for any damage caused from the abuse he had suffered and something that didn't show up when he prodded Harry's belly.

"Okay, we'll get started." Healer Morris picked up a bottle and hovered it over Harry's lower right abdomen and squirted.

"It feels cold," Harry commented.

"Sorry about that," The healer apologized. He ran his wand over the area and in a few seconds found what he was looking for.

Sirius watched Harry closely. The pained expression of Harry's face was hard for him to handle. He wanted to fix it and make it better. Like he did when Harry had the stomach flu last fall and Sirius took care of him. To help with his stomach pain, Sirius placed a warm water bottle on Harry's belly and then rubbed soothing circles to help calm his upset tummy.

"There it is," Healer Dalton announced. He turned to Sirius. "See this blob here?"

Sirius nodded. "What is it?"

"Harry's appendix. He's got appendicitis."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

In short order, Harry was prepared for emergency surgery. Sirius watched as a mediwitch scrubbed Harry's abdomen with an orange looking soap. The soap also took any hair off that was on his abdomen, which wasn't much. After Harry was prepared for surgery, he was moved to a floating stretcher to be moved to the operating room.

"How long will this take?" Sirius had asked Healer Dalton, after he signed the consent form.

"An hour to two hours, at most."

Sirius walked along the floating stretcher with Harry. He could tell that Harry was scared.

"This is where we give parents a moment with their child," the orderly explained. "I'll give you two a moment."

When they were alone, Sirius reached over and raked his hand through Harry's hair.

"Tell Ginny, I love her. Give her the locket I've got hidden in my desk drawer at home. It's for her birthday. Give Ron my Firebolt and Hermione….." Sirius cut him off.

"Harry, you're going to be fine. Nothing will happen to you. Healer Dalton will take good care of you. I promise."

Silence ascended on the Pre-Op holding area, until Harry broke it.

"I'm scared," he admitted.

Sirius's heart broke at the expression on Harry's face. He never saw that much fear in his godson's eyes.

"You're going to be fine," Sirius repeated.

The orderly returned a second later. "Are you ready, Harry?"

Harry suddenly shook his head and his hand shot out and grabbed Sirius's. "I'm too scared. I can't do this."

Sirius looked at the orderly. He smiled softly, having seen many teenagers act the same way Harry was in that moment.

Grasping Harry's hand tightly, Sirius leaned over and whispered, "Harry James Potter, you are going to be fine. Nothing is going to happen to you," Sirius assured him. "You will be fine."

Harry nodded and said, "Okay. I'm ready."

Sirius leaned over and kissed Harry's forehead. "I love you, Pup."

"I love you, too," Harry returned.

The stretcher floated towards the operating room. Healer Dalton passed Sirius as he headed to the waiting room. As the healer passed the concerned godfather, Sirius reached and grabbed the sleeve of his coat.

In a low and commanding voice he said, "If anything happens to my godson, I will have your head."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Sirius paced the floor in the waiting room. He flooed the Burrow to tell Arthur to tell Remus where he and Harry were. Molly said that she would let Arthur know. Ron and Ginny overhead and asked to be updated. Ron said that he would call Hermione in the morning to let her know and Ginny asked if she could stop by tomorrow if Harry felt like company.

Sirius promised he would be in touch and made a note to go home and get the mirrors Harry got himself and Ginny for their anniversary.

The tea room had closed, so Sirius settled for tea out of the machine down the hall.

He had to smile when he remembered the youngest Weasley's reaction. Sirius knew that Ginny was concerned about Harry and telling her that he now had to have surgery when she thought he had food poisoning, he imagined that Ginny wouldn't be sleeping much tonight, especially since it was three in the morning when he flooed the Burrow.

The pediatric surgical waiting room was empty, with just him. He wondered if Remus had gotten his message and would come here.

He got his answer when he heard footsteps outside the waiting room.

"Excuse me, Ma'am. I'm looking for Harry Potter. Sirius Black brought him in."

The welcome witch must have been sorting papers because the next sound was pushing papers. She then responded.

"Harry is in surgery with Healer Dalton and Mr. Black is in the pediatric surgical waiting room. It's just over there."

"Thank you."

A few minutes later, Remus entered the waiting room. "Sirius, what's going on?" he asked, upon entering the room.

"He was sick when he got off the train. He claimed it was food poisoning because something they ate at dinner tasted off to him. I took him home and he went straight to bed because he didn't feel well. He woke me up, I think it was one in the morning, complaining of stomach pain. I rushed him here because no one has stomach pain that bad."

Remus shook his head. "Sounds like it was something serious." Realizing what he said, he added. "No pun intended."

"Healer Dalton was at the desk when I flooed in. He took Harry straight back and examined him. When he pressed on Harry's right side, it became clear he had appendicitis. They did that same scan of his belly that Healer Morris did and concluded what Harry had was appendicitis and he needed to have surgery." Sirius paused for a breath and a sip of tea, which had now gone cold.

"How long has he been in surgery for?" Remus asked.

"About an hour and half," Sirius replied, his eyes looking at the clock in front of him.

Silence filled the room, even thought it was just Sirius and Remus in the room. When Sirius first came in the waiting room, there were two other families in the waiting room. One had brought their child in because he had swallowed something he wasn't supposed and it needed to be surgically removed. The second was there for the same reason Sirius was, for an appendectomy.

When it was just Sirius, he wished that he asked Molly, Ron, and Ginny to come and sit with him. But he knew Remus would come when Arthur told him what was going on.

"I hope he's okay," Sirius whispered.

Remus sighed and placed a caring hand on Sirius's shoulder. "He will be."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Sirius had got up and began to pace again. He tried to sleep, but he couldn't because he was too worried about his godson.

Remus had fallen asleep in the loveseat. He had kept nodding off in his chair and since he and Sirius had the waiting room to himself, he took the loveseat.

Sirius smiled as he remembered when he took Harry to the healer when he was sick with the stomach flu during Christmas break. Harry had curled up in a ball in the loveseat, feeling awful and wanting nothing more but to be back home in bed.

"Sirius?" At the sound of his name, Sirius turned his head and found Healer Dalton standing in the doorway. Remus had gotten up and stretched, pausing when he seen the healer in the doorway. In a blink, both men were standing in front of the healer.

"Well?" Sirius asked.

"Everything went fine. Harry did great with the surgery. He's in the recovery room now," the healer explained.

Sirius and Remus sighed in relief. "So he's okay?" Remus asked.

"He's okay," Healer Dalton repeated. He turned to Sirius. "You brought him in just in time. His appendix hadn't ruptured yet. It's a good thing you brought him in when you did. If it had been another hour….." the healer trailed off.

"What would have happened if his appendix did rupture?" Remus inquired.

"A ruptured appendix spreads infection throughout the abdomen called peritonitis. Possibly life-threatening, this condition requires immediate surgery to remove the appendix and clean out the abdominal cavity," the healer explained. "But Harry is lucky that his didn't. Although it was close."

Sirius and Remus once again sighed in relief. They were relief that Harry was okay and on the road to recovery.

"We'll keep him here overnight and see how he does. He'll be in some pain when he wakes up. We'll give him some pain relief potion for the pain when he wakes up. I do want to wait until he's not feeling sick at his stomach. If I recall, he had some nausea when he had his tonsils removed."

Sirius and Remus both nodded, remembering the period of nausea Harry had after his last surgery.

"Do you have any questions or concerns?" Healer Dalton figured that Sirius would have a question or two.

"When can we see him?" Sirius asked.

"He's stable, so you can see him now."

Sirius and Remus followed the healer to the recovery room. Healer Dalton stopped at a curtained off bed and pulled the curtain back, motioning to the two men they could go in. Sirius entered first, followed by Remus.

Harry laid in the bed, in another clean, green gown, an IV in his left arm, something on his finger on his right hand. The blanket was pulled up under his arms. It was easy to the see the bandage on Harry's lower right side. There was an oxygen mask on Harry's face and he was hooked up to a few monitors.

"He'll be here for an hour and then we'll move him to a room. We're waiting for one to be ready and then we'll move him. I'll take him off the oxygen and the monitors then.

Remus nodded and said "Thank you." Sirius walked over and sat down in the chair beside the bed. He reached and combed his fingers through Harry's hair.

"What do we do now?" Sirius asked, his voice low that Remus could hardly hear him. But he did.

"We wait."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry was moved to a regular room from the recovery room. It had been an hour since Harry had been out of surgery.

Sirius sat in the chair beside Harry's bed, reading a Quidditch magazine. Healer Dalton had just been in to check on Harry and said that he should be waking up soon. Since hearing this, Sirius had been looking up and checking to see if Harry was waking up. Sirius had looked up for the fourth time in ten minutes to check to see if Harry was waking up when he heard a weak moan. Listening closely, Sirius realized that Harry was starting to wake up.

"Harry?" he said softly. "Harry, are you awake?"

Harry moaned once more and then his eyes opened slowly. "Is it over?" Harry asked groggily.

"Yes, it's over. You're okay. Everything went well and you're okay."

Harry turned his head to the left and found Remus, sprawled in the chair that made a bed.

"When did Remus get here?"

"After they took you back for surgery. How are you feeling?" Sirius asked.

"Cold," Harry replied, shivering. "Nauseous."

Sirius walked to the cupboard and pulled out an extra blanket and tucked it around Harry.

"Thanks, Sirius," Harry mumbled sleepily.

"You're welcome," Sirius murmured. He reached over to brush some stray hair off Harry's hair head, but keeping the scar covered.

"I think I'm gonna be sick."

Harry's statement made Sirius dive for a basin the mediwitch had left with him in case Harry got sick and placed it in front of Harry in time for him to start vomiting. Mainly stomach acid and bile, nothing to be concerned about.

"Looks like you inherited James's post operative nausea gene."

Remus had woken up when he heard the heaving and waited to see if Sirius needed any help. He quietly observed Sirius tending to Harry. Then he heard what Sirius about Harry inheriting James's tendency to vomit after medical procedures.

"I think that's true," he said, bring him to Sirius's attention. He turned to Harry. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore, a little nauseous," Harry replied.

Healer Dalton knocked the door gently, not knowing Harry was awake until he walked in the room. "I see you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Sore and sick to my stomach," Harry replied.

"Has he vomited?" The healer inquired.

"Yes, just a few minutes ago."

"Okay."Healer Dalton walked over to the side of the bed and lifted back the right side of Harry's gown. "I'm going to listen to your belly for bowel sounds and then have a look at the incision."

He pulled out the stethoscope and gently pressed the diaphragm Harry's abdomen, listening for bowel sounds that would tell whether or not Harry could try some water.

"I'm hearing some rumbling in his lower intestines," The healer explained. He paused when the sound he was hearing increased. Then suddenly, Harry winced and made a face. Sirius recognized it.

"Do you just….." he trailed off when Harry nodded.

"Did he just pass gas?" Healer Dalton asked.

"Recognized that face when he was a baby," Sirius stated proudly.

"Alright." Healer Dalton pulled off the bandage and Harry turned his head, not wanting to look. "Looks good. We'll check it again later." He replaced the bandage and pulled the gown down and readjusted the blanket.

"Everything okay?" Remus inquired.

"Yes. I'll see if we can get him something to drink and we'll try him on some gelatin."

"Thank you," Sirius said.

"Now, how bad is the pain on a scale of one to ten with ten being the worst?" The healer asked, figuring it was time for more pain potion.

"It's about a four," Harry replied, hesitantly.

Sirius leaned in towards Harry and said, "Harry, you don't need to be tough. It's okay to admit that you're in pain.

"It's a seven," Harry replied.

"Alright, I'll be back with some pain potion." He left the room to get the potion.

"Do you feel any different?" Sirius asked.

"I came in here with my stomach killing me, and now my stomach still is killing me, but it's just sore."

Healer Dalton returned with a goblet of water and a pain potion. "Here you are. You don't need to move at all to take the potion." He flicked his wand and Harry watched as the potion vanished from the vial and then felt the familiar tingling in his stomach, meaning that the healer had spelled the potion into Harry's stomach.

"Need me for anything, please let me know."

Once Healer Dalton was gone, Sirius sat down on Harry's bedside.

"You look tired, Pup. Want to go back to sleep?"

Harry nodded and leaned back in the bed. He moved slowly as to not jostle his stomach.

Sirius turned the light off and leaned over to kiss Harry's forehead.

"Thanks Sirius."

Sirius paused at what Harry had said. "For what Prongslet?"

"For taking care of me," Harry replied.

"You're welcome." Sirius shared a look with Remus. They both knew what Harry was referring to. If he was still at his relatives, they would have not brought him in when they should.

Sirius walked over to Remus and whispered "You go home and get some sleep. I'll stay with him."

"Alright."

Remus walked over and told Harry he was going home and he would see him later that morning. It was pushing five in the morning, and Remus had been up for twenty four hours.

"Thanks for being here, Remus."

"You're welcome, Cub. Get some rest." Remus smiled at Sirius and they nodded, not needing to talk before Remus headed down the hall to floo home.

There wasn't a cot in the room for Sirius to sleep. He walked over to Harry's bedside and leaned over the rail. "If I expanded the bed, would you mind if I slept with you?"

"No." Sirius figured Harry's immediate answer was because Harry wanted to sleep. With a wave of his wand, the hospital bed expanded with room for him with plenty of space for Harry and enough room that Sirius wouldn't hit, elbow or even touch Harry's abdomen in his sleep.

Taking his shoes off, Sirius sat down on the side of the bed. He turned and looked at Harry, who was watching him with heavy lidded eyes.

"Easy," Harry requested. Sirius noticed the look on Harry's face, like he was bracing himself for the pain.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Kiddo. I promise."

The pain potion Healer Dalton given Harry must have kicked in because soon Harry was asleep. The extra strength pain potions and fever reducing potions seem to knock Harry out. Sirius smiled at his sleeping godson.

He leaned over and kissed his forehead one more time before he let sleep claim him. That was how Healer Dalton found them an hour later. He smiled and turned around, walking back out of the door, closing it behind him. He didn't have the heart to wake Sirius.

 **AN: This is part one. I'll be posting part two soon. I have yet to decide on a title for it. Let me know if you have a suggestion of what you like to see. Enjoy!**


	6. Of Migraines and Godfathers

**Of Migraines and Godfathers**

 **Summary: In which migraines run in the Potter family and Harry inherited more than his father's looks and talent. Harry gets a migraine and it's up to Sirius to take care of him.**

The ache behind Harry's eyes hit him out of nowhere. He recognized the telltale signs and groaned inwardly. The headache began in the middle of supper, when Sirius was telling Harry about his meeting with Dumbledore that afternoon. But the signs have been there since that morning: the tension radiating from his skull down his neck to his shoulders, his upset stomach and the exhaustion that had been nagging at him.

It was just him and Sirius tonight. Remus was away again for a mission for Professor Dumbledore.

Harry half listened to what Sirius was saying, while he picked at his plate. The meatloaf, roasted potatoes and carrots now smashed together on his plate in one giant mess. He didn't notice when Sirius had moved on to rant about one of the members on the Hogwarts Board of Governors. He was given the position by Professor Dumbledore and it was something he enjoyed because he got a say in Harry's education.

The evenings had become Harry's favorite time of the day. He enjoyed the one on one time with his godfather. They would play chess, Exploding Snap, or watch movies or TV in the family room, after dinner.

Harry loved living with Sirius. It had been two years since Harry moved in and it was needless to say that Harry loved it. He was able to finish his homework, fly on his broom, have his friends over or go to their house, and most importantly, he had two people who loved him dearly.

They made sure he was well cared for. He was fed, clothed, a comfortable bed to sleep in, and even thought he was approaching sixteen, he wanted their comfort whether he had a nightmare or he was sick. And he had been sick a few times since living with Sirius. Sirius took care of him each and every time, something Harry still to this day hadn't gotten used to.

And now he was getting a migraine attack.

He could remember the first migraine attack. He was twelve and had to skip potions, claiming he was sick. Professor McGonagall came to check on him an hour after class was over and found out what was going on with Harry. She got him an extra strength headache potion and left him two more, if he needed more later.

Ron and Hermione came to check on him after dinner and Harry told them that his head hurt and that he was turning in early. It wasn't until Harry's third attack of migraines that he learned that his painfully bad headache was migraines. He hadn't had a migraine since his fourth year. Sirius was taking care of an injured Remus and Ron and Hermione took care of Harry.

He hadn't had one since when the weather changed in the spring.

So, despite how awful he feels, he continues to sit with his godfather. Every now and then, he nods his head and makes a small noise in response. But he mostly continues to move his food around on his plate.

Harry didn't realize that Sirius had stopped talking until he reached over and places his hand on his shoulder.

"Harry?" he asked gently. "Are you alright, kiddo? You've barely eaten anything for supper? Are you not hungry?"

He dropped his fork with the potato and carrot mess he had made.

"Not really," Harry answered. "I'm fine, Sirius."

Sirius gives him a look.

"Prongslet, you know that I'm a good cook and the day you turn down my cooking is the day Dumbledore does the hokey pokey on the head table, wearing a parka."

Harry made a face of disgust.

"And you've been really quiet tonight. You've barely said two words. I've known you since you were a baby. Quiet has never been your default setting. With that said, do you want to try again?"

Harry knows he's got two choices: confess what's bothering him or try to play it off. He knows that he tries to play it off, Sirius would continuously ask him if he is alright. This gets him nowhere fast.

Sighing, Harry rubbed his eyes under his glasses, and then moved up to his temples.

"My head has been bothering me a little," he admitted quietly. "It's no big deal really. And it's not my scar," he added quickly. "Do you mind if I head on up to bed? I'm a little tired from playing Quidditch with Ron, Gin, and the twins."

Sirius gives his shoulder a light squeeze. "Sure, you can. Go ahead and head on up. I'll take care of everything down here. I'll be up to check on you when I'm done."

"Are you sure, because…" Harry didn't finish the sentence before Sirius cut him off.

"Harry." Sirius's tone was the one that meant no argument. "Go to bed. I got this."

Standing up from the table, Harry reached to take his plate to the sink. But Sirius shooed him away and told him to go on.

"Thanks Sirius. Good night."

Harry headed upstairs and into his bedroom. Collecting his pajamas and a clean pair of boxers, he headed into his bathroom. After the hot shower and quickly brushing his teeth, Harry opened the cabinet in his bathroom where Sirius stored some potions for him. Finally, he located a headache potion. After fixing some water, Harry took the potion, leaving the empty vial on the counter. Heading into his bedroom. He shut the door to his room and bathroom and headed straight for his bed. He laid down, sighing as his head hit the pillow.

"Hopefully I'll be feeling better when I wake up in the morning."

Eventually, Harry fell asleep.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Harry, it's time to get up. Rise and shine. The early bird catches the worm."

Sirius's sing along voice caused Harry to jerk awake from his restless sleep, sending a jackhammer to his skull. Merlin, does his head hurt. The pain ripped through his skull, pounding behind his eyes. He wanted to do nothing but burrow deeper into his bed and pillow, pulling the covers over his head.

Afraid that moving would only make things worse, he decided to stay still. Past experiences with the stomach flu and migraines told him that one wrong move and the contents of his stomach would be appearing whether he wanted it to or not.

Then a few things happened at once. Harry cracked one eye open just as Sirius opened the curtains, bringing in the bright morning sunlight. The sudden light pushes the pain in Harry's head to new heights and he is suddenly slammed with nausea. His stomach churns and he could feel something rising in his throat.

Throwing off the covers, Harry bolts from the room, out to the corridor and into the bathroom, momentarily forgetting the door in his room that leads to the bathroom. He throws himself in front of the toilet just before the first of retching begins.

Each round of heaving drives the spike of pain deep into his skull, bringing tears to his eyes. He jumps slightly at the cool washcloth on the back of his neck. He vaguely hears Sirius's voice say something, but he couldn't understand what he said. He could also feel Sirius's calloused hand on his back, rubbing in circles. Even through the thin T-shirt, Harry could tell how rough Sirius's hand is.

The back rub continues until he finishes. Sirius hands him some toilet paper for him to wipe his mouth with and then hands him a cup of water to rinse his mouth out with.

Harry tosses the toilet paper and spits the water out into the toilet. He cringes at the sound of the toilet flushing when Sirius flushed the toilet.

He leans back and wasn't surprised to find Sirius kneeling behind him. Leaning his head back, lolling against Sirius's shoulder, he softly murmurs, "Sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry for, Pup," Sirius soothed. The washcloth that was on Harry's neck was on the floor. Tossing it in the sink, Sirius summoned another one and using his wand to soak it in cool water. He one handedly wrung the excess water from the washcloth and vanished the puddle that it produced.

Leaning up to reach the counter, Sirius laid his wand down, his other arm around Harry's shoulders. Adjusting the washcloth in his hand, Sirius wipes off the sweat and tears from Harry's face. He smiled softly as Harry leaned into his touch.

Harry leaned into his Sirius's touch, feeling really droopy, like he usually did he when vomited. He would feel pathetic if didn't feel so bloody miserable. He was grateful that Sirius didn't turn the lights on in the small bathroom.

After a few minutes, Sirius asked "Do you think you can make it back to bed?"

Harry nods his head slowly, careful not to aggravate his head. Sirius softly said "Okay," and helped Harry to stand.

Once on his feet, the room spins and Harry blindly grabs for something to hold on to. Sirius tightens his hold on his godson when seeing him tilt backwards.

"Easy, Pup. Just take one step at a time." Sirius slowly leads Harry back to his room. Harry couldn't do anything else but trust him and hopes he doesn't puke on his godfather. Although it wouldn't be the first time.

"Just lean on me," he soothes. Harry lets Sirius lead him back to his bedroom. Once there, he leads him to the bed and tucks him in like he did when Harry first came to live with him. Even though, Harry was heading towards sixteen, the teen didn't care and relished in the normal act.

When Sirius leaves the room once Harry was settled on the bed, he whimpers. Sirius's comfort and soothing hand were the only thing keeping pain in his skull bearable.

Sirius returns a few minutes later and sat down next to him on the bed. He helped him sit up and hands him a vial of potion.

"Here, take this. This is the migraine potion. It will help, I promise." Sirius then summoned a cup from the kitchen and using his wand, filled it with water. He handed Harry the cup of water when he finished taking the potion. "Here, small sips, kiddo. I got the bucket we used when you were last sick. But I really doubt you'll want to go for a second round."

Harry hands him the cup back and lies back down, curling up in a ball under the blankets and covers.

"Did you close the curtains?" Harry whispered. But the dark room was Harry's answer.

Sirius chuckled and lays a damp washcloth over his forehead. The washcloth was big enough to cover his eyes as well.

"Sirius," Harry groans.

"Shush, you rest now. Do you want me to stay with you?"

"Until I fall asleep?" Harry asked. He sighs when he feels Sirius running his fingers through his hair. An act Ginny had done when Harry was sick and she took care of him.

"Of course, Pup."

Sirius continues to stroke his hair, listening for the sound of Harry's even breathing, using his free hand to rub Harry's back. Harry relaxes under Sirius's hand as his free hand rubbed his back.

Harry's eyes feel droopy as the potion starts to kick in and then he falls into a blissful sleep.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

The day passes by Harry in a haze of exhaustion and pain. He sleeps the day away. Sirius rouses him every couple hours to get him to drink some water or take another dose of potions, adding a stomach soother when Harry mentioned that his stomach felt yucky.

He's aware of Sirius's constant presence and he's comforted in the thought that he doesn't have to go through this alone, unlike the other times.

The sun had gone down when Harry is coherent enough to be aware of his surroundings. He sits up slowly, and takes a stock of how he's feeling. He feels stiff and tired, especially his neck from how he laid. But the most important of them all was the ache in his head was pretty much gone. His stomach didn't bother him neither.

All in all, this episode seems to be winding down.

Harry gets up from the bed and heads out the bedroom door, staggering down the stairs to the kitchen. He could smell chicken soup once he turns the corner from the stairs. The smell makes his stomach growl, reminding him he hasn't eaten all day.

When he enters the kitchen, Sirius smiles at him from the stove.

"Sit down before you fall down, Pup." Harry listens to him and sinks down into one of the kitchen chairs without arguing. Sirius pours some soup into a bowl, one about the size Harry uses for cereal, and brings it to the table with a bottle of apple juice.

"How are you feeling?" Sirius inquires.

"Much better. Thanks." Harry inhaled the scent of the soup, his mouth watering.

"Sorry if I caused you any trouble. How did you know I was having a migraine attack?" Harry asked, picking up his spoon.

Sirius sat down in the chair beside Harry. "Your Dad used to get them from time to time. It got the point where I knew the symptoms and so did your Mum. I guess you got something else of his, besides the looks and the talent."

"Lucky me," Harry murmured.

"As for causing me trouble," Sirius says, placing his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Harry, while easy, is not one of your strengths, you were the furthest thing from trouble today. You were sick. I will always be here when you get sick. I've taken care of you for the last three years and I'll continue too, even when your seventeen and of age. "

"I know that Sirius."

"Just promise me that you'll tell me the next time you feel another attack coming on," Sirius requests. "I'll give you the better potions from the get go. I'll even keep them in our cupboard and tell Ginny where they are, if I'm not around. I can trust her to take care of you if I'm not around."

"She does take good care of me when I'm sick," Harry agreed. "But so do you. I promise I will tell you next time."

"Thanks kiddo."

"And thanks for taking care of me today, Sirius."

Sirius smiled at him and patted his shoulder.

"Anytime, Pup. Anytime."


	7. The Road to Recovery

The Road to Recovery

 **Summary: Now that Harry's appendectomy is behind him, he can begin the road to recovery, with Sirius, Remus, and his girlfriend Ginny by his side.**

Harry was startled awake the next morning by the sound of the food trolley being pushed down the corridor. He grimaced at the thought of having to eat the horrible food that St. Mungo's was known for. Unlike when Harry had his tonsils removed, he had to stay in the hospital overnight this time. The other time he was allowed to go home a few hours later.

He smiled when he remembered that Ginny had come over later that afternoon and had spoon fed him some ice cream. "Wonder if she would come over and help take care of me like she did before," he thought.

"Are you awake?"

Harry turned his head towards Sirius's voice. He felt his glasses being put on his face and found Sirius looking at back at him.

"Yeah, I'm awake."

"How are you feeling this morning?" Sirius inquired.

Harry paused for a second to take stock of himself. His stomach felt a little sore, nothing compared to what it was hours ago, he didn't feel nauseous, if anything a little hungry, and he felt a little tired, because he didn't sleep much last night.

"A little better," Harry replied. "Not as sore as I was last night."

Sirius nodded, smiling softly at his godson, feeling relieved. He didn't like seeing Harry in pain. He would rather he take the pain rather than to see Harry suffering.

"Do you feel like eating anything?" Sirius asked.

"Porridge is fine." Harry didn't want anything that would be heavy on his stomach. He lived on porridge for weeks after he moved in with Sirius because he wasn't used to eating every day. While Remus ate his plain, Harry put sugar and cinnamon in his, sometimes more milk depending on who made it, Remus or Sirius.

"Alright, I'll tell Remus to bring you some."

Sirius reached into his pocket and called Remus on the communication mirror. Remus's face soon appeared.

"I have a breakfast order you, Moony. Harry wants porridge and I'll have what you had."

"Okay, I'll make the porridge now and bring you some toast with marmalade and some fruit." Remus appeared to be entering the kitchen and started to make the breakfast to take to the hospital. "How's he feeling this morning?"

"Better. He's awake."

"Oh." Sirius turned the mirror towards Harry. "Hey cub, I'll be there in about a half hour. I have some clothes for you. Do you want anything else?"

"The book that's in my rucksack, the commutation mirror, and you can surprise me with something else."

Remus chuckled. "Alright, cub. I see you soon."

Sirius moved the mirror to face him and they began to have a conversation between the two of them.

Harry laid back in the bed, noticing that Sirius had slept on the cot beside the bed. He wondered if Sirius had slept any at all last night.

It was currently ten in the morning and Harry vaguely remembered being wheeled out of the recovery room and had noticed that there was no sunlight shining thought the windows. He remembered that Healer Morris had explained to him and Sirius that the windows were invisible to Muggles, but they were able to see out of them. The lights were run by magic, as was much of the equipment.

It was then when he noticed that someone had removed the electrodes one of the medi-witches had placed on him before he went into surgery.

"You need anything, Pup?" Sirius asked, signaling to Harry that he had Sirius's full attention.

"I'm good right now," Harry answered. "Did you stay here last night?"

If Sirius was surprised by his answer, he didn't show it. "I did. I wasn't going to leave you here by yourself. If your parents were alive, your Mum would be staying with you. You just had surgery, you're my godson, and where else would I be?"

"Really?

"Really."

Even thought it had been two years since he had moved in with Sirius, Harry still had moments that he forgets that there were people in his life who cared about him and love him. The years he had spent living with his relatives had left its mark on him. Sirius had worked at getting Harry's trust at first, while at the same time, Harry was getting used to having someone who cared. But he didn't just have one person. He had a whole crew.

Professor McGonagall had cared about Harry since he had entered Hogwarts and was sorted into her house. Now, she had cared for Harry the way a grandmother would her grandson. She worried about him when he was sick or injured. She tried to help him if it appeared he was struggling, especially over the last year. She gave him advice and helped him in way she could. Some would say that she tended to favor Harry, but the truth was it was her way of trying to make it up to him for following Professor Dumbledore's suggestion and leaving him with the Dursleys.

The Weasleys had become the family basically adopted him without the legal side. Arthur and Molly were the parents, Harry didn't have. Molly was the mother figure Harry often needed. Fred and George had looked at Harry as another little brother. Ron was Harry's brother in everything but blood. They had been through a lot together and put Hermione with them, they were a great team. Sirius had said that Harry and Ron's relationship reminded him of his and James's relationship. They both were obsessed with Quidditch, they both were often found hiding from Hermione when she was in study mood, which truth be told was daily, and they both shared a love of Chocolate frogs. Ron collected the card and he and Harry both ate the frogs.

Ginny was at a different level. She was, even at this age, was the love of his life. He had a crush on her that he kept secret from everyone, but somehow Sirius figured it out. He was, literally, handed the opportunity to take Ginny to the Yule Ball and had asked her as soon as he could. They had escaped the Great Hall towards the end of the ball, and walked along the snow cleared, twinkle light guided path that was warmed with a warming charm. The moon was out and the sky was clear, making the romantic setting all the more. Harry asked her before they headed in to be his girlfriend. She said yes.

They had been dating happily for an over a year now. Sirius couldn't thank Ginny enough for making Harry so happy. There were many times since they started dating that anytime Ginny entered the room, Harry would instantly perk up, regardless of how bad, good, miserable, or awful his day was.

Even though their anniversary was Christmas, they celebrated their anniversary or they did last year, when they went to Hogsmeade and had saved exchanging gifts on their actual anniversary. Last year, Harry had gotten Ginny a heart shaped necklace that she had been eyeing for a month. She had worn it so much that Harry had the closure hooks replaced when they broke.

Hermione was the sister he didn't have. She looked out for him like an older sister, but she was his friend, he turned to when he needed advice regarding Ginny. He didn't have anyone else to go to and he wanted a female's advice. She helped me with homework and tried to keep Harry and Ron from killing each other if their favorite Quidditch team was playing each other.

She loved Harry like a brother and would do anything for him like he would do anything for her.

"Remus is going to bring us some breakfast, do you want to do anything before he comes?"

"I need to use to the bathroom and maybe a shower."

"Alright."

Sirius helped Harry to the bathroom and get a shower. He wasn't about to leave Harry on his own just yet. Some called it over protective, Sirius called it being cautious. Harry, really didn't mind, he just like the attention Sirius gave him. It was still hard for Harry to believe that he lived in a house with people who cared about him and loved him.

Remus had showed up while Harry was in the shower. He knocked the door to hand Sirius the change of clothes for Harry as he was allowed to wear his own pajamas.

Sirius only stepped out to give Harry some privacy to get dressed.

"I called for the maid witch to change the sheets on the bed, before Harry gets back in it," Remus told Sirius, while they waited for Harry to come out of the bathroom.

A few minutes later, Harry came out of the bathroom and walked slowly, with help from Sirius, to the chair where Sirius had sat in just a little while ago.

"I brought breakfast. Eat as much as you want, Cub," Remus said as he sat up the tray in front of the chair and got out the food he had brought with him.

"Thanks, Remus."

"It was my pleasure," Remus murmured.

Sirius dug into the breakfast Remus had brought him and filled in Remus with what Healer Dalton had told him last night when he came in and checked on Harry."

"He told me if Harry did well, we could take him home later today or tomorrow. He's on restricted activity for two weeks, at least, and then we'll talk about lifting the restriction. He said he could shower, walk around would be good for him. As far as restricted diet, stick with things that are easy on the stomach and then slowly reintroduce food."

Remus nodded, once Sirius was done sharing what the healer had told him. They talked quietly while Harry finished his breakfast.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

A knock at the door, brought the room's occupants to Healer Dalton.

"Good morning, I see we've had a shower."

"And breakfast," Sirius added. "Remus brought some from home."

"I don't blame you at all," Healer Dalton said. He turned to Harry. "How are you this morning?"

"A lot better than what I was hours ago," Harry replied. The pain potion was keeping the pain in his side from throbbing.

"Shower okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, it was fine. Felt better afterwards."

"Eat well at breakfast?"

"Half a bowl of porridge, otherwise I felt that it was going to come up again."

Healer Dalton nodded, pleased with how well Harry was going. "Lie back and let's have a look at your incision."

Harry obeyed and lied back in the bed, pulling his shirt up before he was told to.

Gently, so not to hurt him, Healer Dalton pulled off the bandage on Harry's side. "Looks good, it looks really good. It's not infected, which is a good thing. The color is pink which is what we want to see," the healer explained. He then started gently palpating around the incision, staying in the areas that were Harry's normal skin color.

"It feels good too, healing very nicely. The one thing that separates this surgery from the Muggle version is the healing time. I could remove the stitches as early as next week."

"Would it leave an scar?" Remus asked, looking up at the healer.

"I would recommend using a scar balm, maybe wait a few days before start applying it."

"Wait?" Harry held up a hand. "Are we talking about that gray colored glob that we used before?"

"Yes, Harry," Sirius answered.

"I take it you've had experience with it?" Healer Dalton asked.

Sirius quickly explained the reason why they had to use the balm and Healer Dalton understood Harry's hesitation.

"I could give you some that don't smell so bad, it would still do the job, but the numbing is part of it. I'll also provide you with some bandages. Any questions?"

"When can he go home?" Sirius asked.

"He can tomorrow. I want to keep him for one more night to make sure that everything is fine."

"Thank you. For taking care of our boy."

"My pleasure."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry had fallen asleep after Healer Dalton left. He was feeling tired, which was a side effect of one of the potions he was on.

Remus left to head home to do some things and to start lunch. Harry had requested tomato soup and Sirius whispered to bring enough for four. He had stepped out before Remus had left to make a floo call to the Burrow.

Molly had said that Hermione and Ron were gone to Hermione's parents where they were having a small family gathering, and Hermione's family wanted to meet Ron. They said to tell Sirius they would stop by after the party with Arthur, who was picking them up after the party.

Fred and George were busy and would stop by later and check on Harry. But Ginny was ready to go to the hospital then. She was helping Molly sort laundry would be over as soon as she was finished.

Sirius watched Harry sleep from the chair in the corner of the room. From his chair, he was able to see Harry clearly, despite the bar of the bed in the way. He moved over just a little to give him a clear view of his godson. The light above the bed was dimmed to not disturb Harry's sleep. The door was shut and the room was dark with the exception of light shining through the cracks of the blinds.

While Harry was sleeping, Sirius got a chance to really study Harry.

He was, literally, a carbon copy of his father. When he was asleep, that is. When he was awake, he was James with Lily's eyes. For the longest time, Sirius had a hard time looking at Harry and not remembering his two friends that were gone.

Harry was James to the very core. But there were parts of Lily in there too. He had a mixed of personalities from both of his parents. He was brave, loyal, and selfless, which he mostly got from James. He was kind, friendly, and at times patient.

If there was anything Sirius wished Harry didn't get it was Lily's temper. Although James had one two, Lily's was more dangerous.

Sirius had advised those in Lily's line of fire when in temper to run. In the two years that Harry had moved in with him, Sirius had only seen Harry's temper erupt twice. Ron and Hermione had been in the receiving end once and Moody the second time. Once things cooled down, Harry did apologize, but ironically, he had proven his point and stated his case.

But everyone was surprised that Harry had told off Alastor Moody and lived to tell about it.

Harry was more mature than he was given credit for, in Sirius's option.

The one thing that Harry struggled with was his confidence level. Sirius blamed the Dursleys for this, because Harry had struggled with his self esteem and self confidence for a long time before over coming it within the last year.

The Dursleys were to blame for Harry's lack of nutrition. Harry had to take to potions during the summer to help get his body caught up with his fourteen year old self. The one downside to the potion was the side effects. The type nutrient potion Healer Morris had prescribed wasn't easy on the stomach.

Sirius spent many nights in Harry's room, rubbing his godson's belly as one cramp after another rolled through the boy's abdomen.

That first, summer it was nutrient potions and last summer it was dreamless sleep potions.

Again, Sirius found himself in his godson's room. He often rubbed Harry's back to help him sleep on the off nights for the potion.

Sirius smiled as he thought back to the past summer. Ginny was a huge help with Harry, getting his mind off of everything that happened over the summer.

Healer Morris had recommended a mind healer and together they helped Harry process what happened over the last year. On top of the mind healer, Healer Morris recommended a Muggle therapist. It wasn't until Sirius had called to make an appointment that he found out that the therapist was a massage therapist.

Cindy was excellent with Harry and had shown Sirius some techniques to use as well. Healer Morris had told Sirius at Harry's fifteen year check up that massage was a great way for Harry to relax.

Sirius had bought books on massage therapy and techniques, sharing the techniques book with Ginny.

The redhead wanted to help her boyfriend in any way she could. And Sirius appreciated the help and Harry enjoyed her massages after a long day of classes.

Harry was still sleeping when the door to his room cracked open and Ginny peaked her head in.

"Come on in, Ginny," Sirius said.

Ginny walked in the room, closing the door behind her and approached the bed, where her boyfriend laid.

"I should be used to seeing Harry in a hospital bed. He seems to spend more time in one than out."

Sirius chuckled, knowing how truth Ginny's words were. The last time Harry was in the hospital wing was after a long Quidditch practice and he had taken a bludger to the head. Harry ended up with a concussion and Ginny stayed with him to take care of him.

Between Quidditch injuries, illness, and some potions accidents, Harry had spent a lot of time in the hospital wing. And Ginny had spent a lot of time at Harry's bedside, keeping a vigil when he was unconscious and taking care of him when he wasn't.

"I would agree with you there. I think he's like his father. James was clumsy and accident prone, especially around Lily. It was how I knew that Harry had a crush on you."

Ginny smiled and blushed as she thought back to before her and Harry was together. The raven headed teen was clumsier than he usually was. Now, it was a dream come true her to be Harry's girlfriend.

"How is he?" Ginny asked.

"Better. He was lucky that his appendix didn't rupture." Sirius went on to explain to Ginny what would have happened if that did happen. Ginny gasped, covering her mouth with her hand and looked at her snoozing boyfriend, thankful that he was okay.

She looked at Harry, still asleep. "I should hex you for causing me so much worry," she said, seriously.

Sirius chuckled, knowing that there wasn't any truth around Ginny's words. She wouldn't hex Harry, even if he made her made enough to hex.

"But you love me anyway," Harry mumbled, waking up. He smiled, sleepily as he caught sight of his girlfriend, after she handed him his glasses. "Hi."

"Hi, yourself." Ginny leaned over and kissed him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm….." Ginny cut him off.

"We talked about the fine word," she reminded him."

"I'm okay. My stomach feels a little sore, but I think it's because the potion is wearing off." Harry winced as he moved to sit up.

"Easy, baby. Let me help you," Ginny soothed. She took the pillow from Sirius and fluffed it, placing it behind Harry. He leaned back against the pillows, feeling better now that he was sitting up. "Better?"

"Much."

"Do you need a pain potion?" Sirius inquired.

"Yeah," Harry replied.

Sirius handed Ginny the potion and she helped him to take the potion, then getting him some water after he swallowed the potion.

Ginny settled in the space beside Harry in the hospital bed. She moved slowly, not wanting to jolt Harry or cause him pain.

She motioned for Sirius to hand her the bag she had brought with her and took it from him. She reached inside of it and pulled out a few Quidditch magazines she had picked up on her way to St. Mungo's that morning.

She offered one to Harry and he took it, kissing her cheek and whispering a thanks.

Sirius pulled out the book Remus had brought him from home and they settled into their reading, killing time before Remus showed up with lunch.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

If there was anything Ginny could say about her boyfriend it was that he tended to be a big baby when he was sick. Of course, a lot of the reason was because he never was cared for when he sick before Sirius and Ginny didn't mind the whining voice Harry used when he was sick.

And while Harry had an incredibly high pain tolerance, some things tested it. The severe headaches that his scar caused, some stomach cramps, and some injuries he had sustained.

It was no surprise to her that she was in the bathroom with Harry, after attempting to feed him some lunch. Healer Dalton had suggested to try some soup and had warned that Harry's stomach may accept it or not. It was a side effect of one of the potions, Harry was on to prevent infection. The IV had been removed once Harry was awake and had kept down enough liquids to warrant the removal of the IV.

Sirius had gone home for a shower and sleep and Remus had gone home with him to fix something for supper. Harry would be feeling better by than according to Healer Dalton, since he would be starting to go off the infection potion to a lower dose of another type of infection potion. They thought Harry would be fine and Ginny wasn't leaving him anytime soon.

Harry leaned against her, his forehead on her shoulder. She could hear him groan every little bit.

Ginny rubbed his back in slow, soothing circles. She watched as Harry leaned over the toilet and vomited up everything he had eaten in the last two hours.

It had been forty five minutes since Harry told her he felt sick and felt like he was going to throw up.

"Gin, I think I'm done," Harry whispered, his voice echoing off the tiled walls. Slowly and gently, Ginny helped him up from the floor and lead him back to the bed.

Sirius had come back while they were in the bathroom and sat down in the chair. He had approached the bathroom to check on Harry, but when he seen that Ginny was with him and taking care of him, he left it to the red headed witch.

She had been helping take care of Harry when he was sick since they got together. The first time was when Harry gotten sick from the Gillyweed. Harry had swallowed some on accident and it ended with a night in bed in Sirius's quarters. Since it was Ginny, who discovered that Harry was sick and brought him to the hospital wing, Sirius allowed her to stay with them and help take care of Harry.

Ever since Ginny was there to help nurse Harry back to health. Molly was so stunned at how well Ginny had taken care of Harry that she even allowed Ginny to stay with Harry when the latter got sick from eating too much at dinner.

Molly and Sirius checked on them at different periods of the night and had both made peace with each other. Did that mean that they always got along? No.

"Feeling better, Prongslet?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah, I am now. I should have said something before I tried to eat something. My stomach was churning and gurgling before I ate something."

Sirius helped Ginny get Harry back into bed. It was when Harry hissed that Ginny asked if he was okay.

"My side feels sore and it hurts when I move," Harry explained.

Healer Dalton came in just when Harry was back in bed and comfortable.

"Hello, how are we doing?" the healer asked.

"I just threw up lunch five minutes ago," Harry replied.

Ginny explained what had happened when Sirius left and the healer nodded, understanding now what had happened.

"Okay, I'm going to switch you to a different infection potion, one that won't be so hard on your stomach. You should be able to eat after that. Give it about an hour before trying to eat anything." The healer directed the next part to Sirius. "Keep him the bland diet for now until his stomach gets straightened up. I'll include a stomach soother with the infection potion. Maybe with that he could keep down a meal."

"Okay," Sirius said, before turning his attention to Harry. Ginny was sitting in the bed beside him, Harry's head on her shoulder. Her arm was wrapped around him and Harry looked like he was about to fall asleep.

He was always amazed at Ginny when he seen her take care of Harry. After a few minutes, she laid Harry back against the pillows and pulled the cover up to his chest. Harry was sound asleep.

Healer Dalton watched the interaction silently. He had met the redhead previously when Harry had his tonsils removed. She sat with Sirius and Remus in the waiting room during Harry's surgery and helped Sirius take care of him afterwards.

He loved seeing young couples and even though he knew how young Harry and Ginny were, he knew they were deeply in love with each other. Or at least how much Ginny cared for Harry.

He talked to Sirius while he was checking Harry's vitals, watching for any sign of infection despite the potion. With Harry asleep and laying down in the bed, Healer Dalton took the chance and checked Harry's incision.

He pulled off the bandage gently and didn't miss Ginny's sharp intake of breath.

"That has to hurt," she stated.

"It doesn't," Healer Dalton assured her. "He's on potions for pain and they keep it to dull ache or not even notice it. His abdomen was numb when I did the surgery and he was asleep the whole time."

Ginny nodded mutely. She had seen her brothers go through this surgery and she knew of some of what they went through.

She was relieved when she found out that Harry was okay.

"I'll be by to check on him later," Healer Dalton said to Sirius and left the room to make the changes in Harry's file before the next dosage of potions was due. 

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

All too soon for Ginny's liking, it was time for her to go home. Visiting hours were almost over and Remus was getting ready to head home. Sirius was staying with Harry tonight and tomorrow, he would get to go home.

Healer Dalton said that he was doing great and Harry could go home tomorrow. Harry was happy to get to go more, if for nothing more to sleep in his own bed.

"I'll see you in the morning, Cub. Sleep well," Remus murmured as he told Harry good night and kissed the top of his head.

Remus moved so Ginny could say goodbye and went to talk to Sirius about how to get Harry home tomorrow. Hatfield was a forty five minute drive to London and Sirius wanted to make it easier and comfortable for Harry.

"I'll see you tomorrow, sweetie. Mum said I could come over if you get to come home," Ginny informed her boyfriend.

"I'll look forward to seeing you tomorrow, Gin."

Ginny leaned over and kissed Harry good night. They always kissed each other good night before heading up to their own dorms to go to bed.

Aware of Remus and Sirius, they didn't take it too deeply like they usually did.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Ginny whispered. "I love you."

Harry grinned, he would never get used to this. "I love you too."

Ginny gathered her bag and told Remus and Sirius she would see them tomorrow. Sirius said he would floo the Burrow to let her know that they were home.

Ron and Hermione would accompany her tomorrow. They were nice to let Ginny have this time with Harry, opting to wait until Harry got home to visit. They wouldn't stay long, just long enough to see how he was doing, maybe an hour and then they would head back to the Burrow.

Ginny would stay as long as she wanted, but she would head home when Harry goes to bed.

"See you tomorrow, Ginny. Thanks for your help with Harry today."

"You're welcome, Sirius."

Remus and Ginny left the room, leaving godfather and godson alone for the first time since they got to the hospital.

Sirius could tell that Harry was tired and he wanted to sleep.

"Are you asleep?" he asked his godson. He got his answer when Harry didn't say anything. The sound of Harry's even breathing told Sirius that he was asleep.

"Good night, pup. I love you." Sirius tucked the cover around Harry and kissed his cheek. Then he headed to his cot in the corner and laid down, pulling the blanket and pillow he had Remus bring from home for him. He fell asleep, happy that tomorrow night he would be sleeping in his own bed.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry laid on the bed as Healer Dalton examined the incision area one final time before releasing Harry to go home.

"Okay, now we can leave the bandage off for about an hour or so, for it get some air. I would recommend when you apply the balm to it and let it dry. Let it get some air for an hour before reapplying the bandage. You can fix your shirt in a way that you can still let the incision area, get some air, but not have to walk around the house without a shirt on."

"We might try that," Sirius said, from the side the bed.

Healer Dalton finished the exam with a light prod of Harry's abdomen, feeling to see if everything was okay in there.

"Alright, Harry you may sit up."

Harry reached for Sirius's hand and he helped Harry sit up slowly. Any sudden movements still hurt.

"I want to see you in my office in about a week. We'll have a look at your incision again and if everything looks great, I'll remove the stitches. I'm going to remind you of restricted activity and try to rest some too." Healer Dalton turned to Sirius.

"Let me know if he has any severe abdominal pain, especially near the surgery site. Keep giving him the infection potion and the pain potion if he needs it. Anything comes up, please floo the office or owl me."

"Thank you, Healer Dalton. For everything."

"You're welcome and I'll see you next week."

When the healer left, Remus came in with a bag in his hand and Sirius and Harry's breakfast in another.

"I figured you would want to try something else that wasn't porridge," Remus explained when he handed Harry the plate of eggs and toast.

"Two more days and we'll see how your stomach does with real food," Sirius assured him.

"I heard him Sirius," Harry said, trying not to sound grumpy. He didn't get much sleep last night due to the pain potion wearing off in the middle of the night. He waited an hour when Sirius got up to use the bathroom to tell him.

"I know, but think about it this way. You will sleep in your own bed tonight."

Harry smiled at that. He already couldn't wait to get home to his comfortable bed with the fluffy pillow and not the uncomfortable bed he slept in for the last two nights.

Once breakfast was over, Harry took the bag with a change of clothes for him from Remus and headed to the bathroom. While Harry changed, Remus and Sirius packed up everything they brought to the hospital and some of the get well gifts Harry had gotten.

It took two trips for Remus to take everything to the car and by the time he had everything loaded in the car, Harry was dressed and ready to go. Sirius signed the release forms and Harry was placed in wheel chair to be wheeled out to the car.

Remus had moved the car after his third trip out to the car to the front entrance of St. Mungo's. Remus and Sirius helped Harry into the backseat and got him settled in the back for the car ride home. Before they had left the room, Sirius gave Harry a motion sickness potion, hopefully to prevent Harry from getting car sick on the way home.

With everything loaded into the car, including Harry, Remus got in the driver's seat and Sirius got in the back with Harry.

"Ready to go home?" Remus asked Harry, looking in the rearview mirror.

Harry nodded. "Yes. Let's go home."

With that Remus started the engine and merged into to traffic, driving home where Harry could finish recovering in peace.

 **AN: Stay tuned for Part Three. Unlike the Appendix story in Harry's Life with Parents, I had to break this one up into three parts instead of two.**

 **Enjoy!**


	8. Just A Little TLC

**Just a Little TLC**

 **Summary: Now that Harry is home from the hospital, it's up to Remus, Sirius, and Ginny to give him some tender love and care.**

Sirius walked softly to his godson's bedroom, wanting to check on him before he went downstairs. They had brought Harry home from the hospital after he had his appendectomy yesterday and Sirius wanted to make sure Harry was okay. He had thought of sleeping in Harry's room that night just in case Harry needed him.

He opened the door to the teen's bedroom to find Harry, sound asleep. He was tucked into bed with a blanket and a quilt over him.

Sirius smiled at the sight of a sleeping Harry. Quietly, as to not wake him, Sirius walked over to the side of the bed and kissed Harry's forehead before backing out of the room quietly.

Looking around the room, he noticed a few small changes from when Harry moved in with them almost two years before. There was a Weird Sister's poster on the wall above his bed, the curtains were changed out for new ones last summer, the lamp on Harry's bedside table were different. There was a picture of Harry and Ginny beside the lamp.

It was taken last summer at Ginny's birthday party.

Sirius walked out of Harry's bedroom, letting the teen sleep. He headed down to the kitchen where Remus was preparing breakfast.

"How's Harry?" he asked.

"Sleeping. I'm surprised how well last night had gone. I figured Harry wouldn't sleep as well as he did."

Remus nodded in agreement. Harry had slept through the night, only waking Sirius once when he needed a stomach soother after waking up feeling a little sick to his stomach. After that, Harry went back to sleep and was still sleeping now.

The floo flared in the sitting room and Sirius didn't need to ask who it was as they could hear who it was.

"Ron, seriously did you have to shove me into the floo and say 'let's go' before I had a chance to get my things."

"Ginny will get them, calm down. Just because you found a book about OWLs that you want to share with Harry that couldn't wait until we get back to school, doesn't mean you have to bite my head off."

Remus and Sirius shared a smile. Ron and Hermione knew how to make an entrance.

"Really Ronald, well let me….."

Whatever Hermione was meant to say was cut off with the sound of the floo roaring and a third person coming through.

"Alright you two, here, Hermione is your bag. The OWLs book can wait until we return to school and when Harry is ready to read it."

Hermione must have started to say something because Ginny had cut her off and told her that Harry would probably feel lousy for the next few days.

The group walked into the kitchen and greeted Remus and Sirius.

"We didn't wake Harry did we?" Ginny asked, fretting.

"No, he's still asleep."

Hermione looked at the shaggy headed man, confused. "How?"

"There is a monitoring charm on his room that I placed when we came home. It had let me know that something was wrong last night and I went to check on him." Seeing Ginny's panicked expression, Sirius added "He just needed a stomach soother."

"Oh," Ginny sighed.

"Is he okay now?" Ron asked. Everything that he, Harry, and Hermione had been through over the last five years had brought them closer together, especially over the last three years. Ron and Hermione were there for Harry like Harry and Hermione were there for him if needed. Hermione knew she could count on her boys if needed.

"He is now." There was a pause as Sirius looked up. "I think he's awake." Turning to Remus he explained "I think he went to the bathroom."

"May I?" Ginny asked.

Sirius nodded and then Ginny headed to the stairs, walking up to Harry's room. They were allowed in each other's bedroom, as long as the door remained open.

She smiled as she stood in the doorway of Harry's room and seen that Harry was getting back into bed slowly. He stopped when he saw Ginny standing in the doorway.

"Good morning, sunshine," she greeted before stepping into the room and kissed Harry in greeting. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Okay, stomach feels a little tender, but I'm okay. Are you here to take care of me?" he asked.

"Yes, I am. Are you hungry? I'll go and get your breakfast and bring it up for you."

Harry smiled at her. "That would be great, thanks babe."

Ginny got up from where she sitting on the side of Harry's bed and headed downstairs. She told Remus that Harry was ready for breakfast and he handed her a bowl of porridge, with some cocoa mixed in it.

Sirius stopped her before she headed to the stairs. "Ginny, in case I haven't said it yet, thank you."

Ginny smiled, knowing what Sirius was talking about. She had been helpful to in taking care of Harry. Sirius appreciated the help and knew that Ginny was willing to help. She had sat with him when he had his tonsils removed and even fed him ice cream and foods that were easy on his throat.

"You're welcome, Sirius. You know I'll always care of him," Ginny replied.

"I never worry when he's with you. I know you'll take good care of him."

Ginny smiled at the comment and then headed to the stairs, knowing Harry was probably hungry.

She smiled as she thought back to the previous Easter break. She had spent the majority of it with Harry, helping him recover. He looked pitiful when she would feed him. She even said once that Harry pretended to be weak just so she would take care of him. But she knew that this wasn't the case and Harry really felt weak.

They may have been dating for over a year, but Ginny imagined herself marrying the boy. She loved him that much.

Ron and Hermione had come up while Ginny had gone to get Harry's breakfast. Ron and Harry were deep in conversation regarding Quidditch

"What's for breakfast?" Harry asked when Ginny entered the room.

"Porridge," Ginny replied. She sat down on the side of Harry's bed. A glass of orange juice appeared on his nightstand, making Hermione jump.

The two couples talked while Ginny slowly fed Harry his breakfast. She was patient and gentle and reminded Ron of their mother. Molly would sit on a bedside and fed her sick child chicken soup and would go just as slow and gentle as Ginny was now.

Harry did nothing but open his mouth and swallow.

Ron and Hermione kept some conversation, while Ginny took care of Harry. Ginny had stopped every few bites to give him a sip of orange juice and then continued with feeding her boyfriend.

When he finished, she placed the bowl down on the bedside table and gave Harry another drink of orange juice.

"Thanks, Gin," Harry murmured.

"You're welcome." She leaned over and kissed him before gathering the bowl and cup from his breakfast to take back to the kitchen. She didn't get far as Remus had met her outside the door.

"I'll take that for you, Ginny," He said, taking the dishes from Ginny and headed back downstairs. "Let us know if you need anything," he called from the bottom of the stairs.

"I will," Ginny replied, and returned to Harry's bedroom.

"I picked up these yesterday for you, Mate. Figured you could use something useful to read," Ron said, pulling out some Quidditch magazines.

"Thanks, Ron." Harry picked up the _Quidditch Quarterly_ and skimmed through the magazine and found the Quidditch team standings for the Cup, which was coming up in a few months. "I've been meaning to get this issue."

Ginny sat down beside Harry in his bed, reading the magazine over his shoulder. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders, her hand going to his head and rubbing his head and running her fingers through his hair.

Harry leaned his head against her shoulder and let the gentle head and scalp rub, lull him to sleep.

His last thoughts before drifting off to sleep were, how did he get lucky to have a girl like Ginny?

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ron and Hermione had left to return to the Burrow. They didn't want to stay long as Harry needed some rest and they knew he was in good hands with Ginny. They said that they would stop by later, as they just wanted to see how Harry was doing.

Ginny remained by Harry's side, watching him sleep. She tucked the blanket around him and took off his glasses and sat them on the side table. Remus came up after Ron and Hermione left to check on Harry and see if Ginny needed anything.

Sirius would be forever grateful that Harry had someone like Ginny in his life. He had never seen Harry so happy, except for when he moved in with him and Remus.

Ginny noticed after some time, Harry started to groan in his sleep. She looked down and noticed that Harry's face was pinched in a grimace, almost like he was in pain.

Reaching over, she gently shook his shoulder. "Harry, sweetie, wake up," she whispered.

Harry's eyes cracked open and then slowly opened. "I need a pain potion. My side hurts," he told her.

She leaned over and kissed his forehead and whispered, "I'll go and get you one." She got up and headed downstairs, hoping she would find Remus or Sirius to get a pain potion. As she ascended the stairs, she met Sirius half way up.

"What's wrong Ginny?" he asked, seeing the concern on Ginny's face.

"Harry needs a pain potion," she replied.

Glancing up at the grandfather clock, he saw the time and realized that Harry was passed due for a pain potion. He nodded and sent Ginny back up to Harry and he would get a pain potion.

Returning to Harry, she informed him that Sirius was getting him a pain potion and would be there in a minute. True to his word, Sirius came in carrying a potion.

"Here you go, Pup. This will help," He handed the potion to Harry, then handing the cup of water to Ginny. "Has he been asleep?" he inquired.

"Yes. He just woke up," Ginny explained. Harry reached for the water, she was holding and she handed him the cup, still holding it in case Harry lost his grip on the cup

"How are you feeling, Pup?" Sirius asked, after Harry had taken a drink.

"Better now." Harry looked around his room, looking for something. "Do I have something that we could play a game of cards on in here?" he asked.

"Hold on, one second." Sirius left the room, returning five minutes later with a tray in his hand. It was one that was used when they served breakfast in bed. Remus had bought it before Harry had his tonsils removed and it came in handy when one of them were bedridden.

"Thanks Sirius." Turning to Ginny he asked her if she wanted to play a game of cards. She agreed and pulled out a deck from the bag she had brought with her.

"Hearts, Go Fish, or War?" She asked. "You choose."

Harry thought for a second and decided on Go Fish. Sirius left them to their card game, only returning a half hour later with some tea for Harry and Ginny.

"Remus is making lunch. Do you have any request?" Sirius asked.

"Tomato bisque sounds really good," Harry replied.

"Okay." Turning to Ginny he asked if she was staying for lunch.

"Sure, I can stay until this evening," Ginny said.

"Alright." Leaving them alone, Sirius headed down to the kitchen to tell Remus what Harry had asked for lunch.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

By the time Remus had lunch ready, Harry and Ginny had played a game of Slapjack, which was something that Harry had introduced Ginny to when she was taking care of him after his tonsillectomy, a game of Go Fish and half way through a game of War.

Sirius headed upstairs to see if Harry wanted to eat at the table.

"Hey, thought I'd let you know that lunch is ready," he said upon entering the room. "Do you want to eat downstairs in the kitchen or in here?"

Harry thought for a moment. Healer Dalton said for him to try to move as much as he could. Nodding, he let Sirius and Ginny help him up from the bed and out the door of his room heading to the stairs. With Sirius in front of him and Ginny behind him, they slowly made their way downstairs.

As they passed the downstairs bathroom, they stopped to wash up before heading on into the kitchen. Remus as listened to Harry's request and made tomato bisque, a soup which had quickly became a household favorite. It was a recipe that Remus had learned from Lily. It was a family recipe and Lily had only shared it with him. He would swear that it tasted just as if Lily had made it. It was one of James's favorites that Lily made.

Because of the memories it brought, Remus didn't make it as much, but he did for Harry's benefit.

"Looks good, Remus," Ginny commented. Remus had sat the soup bowls in the middle of plates with crackers along the bowl with a smaller plate for a sandwich. Harry preferred peanut butter sandwiches with his soup while Remus and Sirius wanted grilled cheese.

Sirius claimed this was the James coming out in Harry. James had a gift, as Sirius called it, for pair foods in an odd way or in a way one would never consider.

The meal was complete with soda, a Cola for Sirius, Remus, and Ginny, and Sprite for Harry.

"Thanks, Remus," Harry said, sitting down in his chair beside Ginny.

"You're welcome, Cub. Eat as much as you want."

They settled in the meal, making light conversation amongst the group, avoiding anything to do with school as Harry had OWLs coming up and the Careers Advice meeting with Professor McGonagall when they returned to Hogwarts on Monday.

"I'll be recovered enough to play in the Quidditch final won't I?" Harry asked, when he realized it was coming up in May.

Sirius and Remus looked from Harry to each other.

"The final isn't until the end of May. This is just the beginning of April. You'll be well recovered by then," Remus assured him.

"We'll talk to Healer Dalton when we go to your follow up appointment. He'll be able to tell you about when you can return to Quidditch practice," Sirius added.

Harry nodded and ate his soup quietly. He didn't want to let the team down, especially Angelina. He felt Ginny's hand on his back, rubbing in soothing circles. He turned his head towards her and noticed she was watching him closely.

"You have a potion to take after your done eating. It's the one to prevent infections. I'll give you some apple juice to kill the taste," Sirius informed his godson.

"This one isn't going to cause me to get sick is it?" Harry asked. The last one caused him to feel sick to his stomach and he had spent the first hour after he had eaten, vomiting in the bathroom. Ginny was with him during that bout of sickness.

"No, this is a different," Sirius replied. "Healer Dalton recommended apple juice as it would kill the taste, but not affect the active ingredients.

"Okay."

To everyone's, especially Ginny's surprise, Harry managed to eat the whole bowl of soup. Harry had crushed the crackers into the soup and there was none left. He drank what was left of his soda while waiting for Sirius to get him his potion.

After Sirius finished eating, he collected the potion Harry needed to take.

"We'll have to remember to give this to you after you've eaten lunch. You need to take it once a day and on a full stomach. Healer Dalton said it would cause you some stomach discomfort if you took it on an empty stomach."

Harry didn't need to ask what stomach discomfort. He knew. If he did take it on an empty stomach, he would pay for it big time. He nodded and quickly downed the fowl tasting potion. Ginny lightly chuckled at Harry's facial expression as he swallowed the potion.

"That's absolutely foul," he said, hoarsely. He picked up the small bottle of apple juice and chugged it

Once Ginny was done, Harry asked Sirius if they could move to the family room where they had the television and entertainment center set up.

"What movie are we watching?" Ginny asked. Her and Harry had watched some movies during Harry's previous recovery. They watched _Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast,_ and _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs._

Last summer, when Ginny would come to Marauder's Cottage to spend some time with Harry, they would often be found in the family room, snuggled up on the couch watching movies.

"I'm letting you pick," she said when Harry paused to reply.

"I picked last time, Gin. It's your turn."

Ginny knew that there was no arguing with Harry and she walked to the cabinet where all the VHS tapes were kept. She decided to pick a romantic comedy and picked _Four Weddings and a Funeral._

Remus nodded and said "Good choice," before heading to the library that he had added upstairs. There was a large den upstairs passed Harry's room and Remus had turned into a library. It wasn't the size of the one at Grimmauld Place, but it was enough for simple research that Remus liked to do.

"Mind if I join you?" Sirius asked. He loved the movie, personally having seen it with an old friend by the name of Hestia Jones. He took her to see the movie and then bought the VHS. They were currently in an on again, off again relationship.

"Not at all," Ginny said, while Harry shook his head.

Sirius popped some popcorn "Can't have a movie without popcorn," he argued.

Once he was settled and everyone had what they wanted, Harry picked up the remote and pressed play.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

After the movie was over, Sirius headed to the sitting room. He had some work for the Board of Governors to do and really, he wanted to give Harry and Ginny a moment alone. They hadn't done anything to not earn his trust and Harry more than earned it.

"That was…." Ginny trailed off. "Happy, but the funeral scene was sad."

"Want to watch another movie?" Harry inquired.

"We'll wait until tomorrow," Ginny answered.

They sat on the couch, talking quietly. Harry wasn't ready to go back upstairs yet and he and Ginny decided to stay in the sitting room. The weather was chilly, but Ginny figured Harry could do with some fresh air.

"Harry, what do you say about going outside for a second?"

Not even thinking twice, Harry agreed and got up, heading into the scullery. His navy blue jacket was hanging on a hook by the door. Grabbing it, he slipped it on and sat down on the bench to slip on his trainers.

"Hang on a second, sweetie," Ginny called, coming from the kitchen into the scullery. She kneeled in the floor in front of Harry and helped slip his trainers on so he wouldn't have to bend over to do so.

"There," she said, when she finished tying the laces. They headed outside and walked slowly around the year. Harry had left his Firebolt at school, and seeing as he wasn't allowed to do any strenuous activity he wouldn't have been able to ride it.

"Thanks for taking care of me," Harry said after some time has passed and neither of them had said a word.

"You're welcome."

They walked around the back garden, closer to the house. Soon, they started talking about things at school, Ron and Hermione and how to get them together, and Quidditch.

Heading to the bench in the small section of the garden that divided the Quidditch pitch and the small vegetable garden Remus has kept in the back garden, they sat down and continued to talk.

From the kitchen window, Sirius watched the young couple. He smiled as he watched them hold hands and walk around the garden. He watched them as they sat down on the bench. Seeing that Harry was fine, he headed back to the sitting room.

Ginny had come and told him and she was taking Harry outside for a little bit and he nodded to give her his approval.

As he entered the sitting room, he glanced at a picture of James and Lily that was hanging on the wall. He looked at the picture of his best friend and brother in everything but blood. He missed James very much and Lily. He could only imagine how Harry feels about his parents. Sirius paused for a second, wishing that they could find a portrait of James and Lily that they can talk to.

"I miss you and Lils, Prongs. Very much."

Heading into the sitting room, Sirius didn't notice Remus at the top of the stairs. He headed into Sirius's room, returning the laundry and glanced out the back window. He smiled at the young couple, wishing that James and Lily were here to see this.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

After returning inside, Harry and Ginny headed back upstairs to Harry's bedroom. It was then when Harry realized he hadn't had a shower since leaving St. Mungo's. Gathering a change of clothes, Harry headed into the bathroom while Ginny helped by stripping his bed and remaking it with clean sheets. She brought the sheets she took off to Remus. They had met at the top of the stairs.

They switched with what was in their hands. Ginny gave Remus the sheets and Remus gave Ginny the balm that they had to put on the incision in hopes of it not scaring as bad as it would without it. A clean bandage was with the balm.

Ginny didn't need any instructions as she knew what the balm was for and the bandage.

She sat it down on the bedside table and waited for Harry to finish in the bathroom.

The bathroom door open and Harry stepped out, dressed in a red Gryffindor Quidditch shirt and black, white and red plaid pajama pants.

"Is that what I think it is?" Harry asked, pointing at the balm

"Scaring balm," Ginny supplied. "Yes, it is."

Harry didn't argue, as he knew it was Healer Dalton's orders. They had used it on his arm after they came home last summer in hopes the scar wouldn't be so vivid. It had worked, only making it become more pink and not so red and noticeable. Even though it was a Muggle injury, technically, the balm worked.

This time, it was the normal strength balm, unlike the maximum strength they had used last summer.

There is only one thing Harry hated about it…..

"I hate that stuff. It makes the area feel numb. It made my arm feel numb when I used it on this." Harry pointed to the scar on his arm. The daily reminder of the horror he had suffered through last year. That Voldemort had returned.

"I know," Ginny said. "But this will make the one on your side not so noticeable without it. Plus, it would help the pain as well."

Harry sighed, he knew Ginny was right. He slipped off his shirt and laid down on the bed, waiting for the numb feeling at accompanied the scaring balm. He didn't feel uncomfortable be shirtless in front of Ginny, now. He was when they first started dating. Despite living with Sirius he still spent time at the Burrow.

Last summer, he spent a lot of time at the Burrow. He, Ginny, Ron and Hermione adventured down to the pond behind the Burrow passed the padlock. It was part of the property and was where they swam when the weather got hot. Harry was nervous about being shirtless around Ginny back then, but was able to get over it.

It all seemed from Harry's childhood and his self esteem. But Ginny helped him with it, now he had a lot of confidence.

Ginny dipped her finger into the balm and got the amount that was required and started to spread it on the small red line on Harry's side. The balm was cold on Ginny's fingers, but when it came in contact of Harry's skin it warmed.

"This must be a different scaring balm. It never warmed when it made contact with the skin," Harry stated.

"Must be," Ginny agreed.

"It usually burns and then suddenly cools…." Harry trailed off and then suddenly announced, "I spoke too soon."

Ginny picked up the magazine on Harry's bedside table and started fanning the area.

"Better?" she inquired.

"Yeah," Harry sighed. Fanning the area helped. He had fanned his arm when he used it on his arm last summer.

Ginny had applied the bandage and Harry had slipped his shirt back on when Sirius came in the room.

"Did you get the balm applied?" he asked.

"Yes, we did." She handed the jar back to Sirius and took the vial he had brought up.

"Is that a pain potion?" Harry asked.

Sirius nodded, handing Ginny the cup of water. "Yes, it is."

Not needing to be told twice, Harry took the vial and then swallowed the potion. He quickly took the water Ginny handed him and swallowed it.

"Thanks." Harry looked drowsy, like he wanted to go to sleep.

"Are you feeling tired?" Sirius asked. Harry was falling asleep and didn't respond. "Harry?" Sirius looked over at Ginny. "I think he's asleep."

Ginny nodded, sitting down the side of bed and raking her fingers through his hair.

Harry cracked his eyes open, looking at Ginny. "Thanks for taking care of me, Gin," he croaked.

"You're welcome."

Soon the only noise in the room was Harry's soft snoring. Ginny looked at the time on the alarm clock and noticed the time.

"I better go, it's getting late and Mum will be wondering when I'm going to be home."

"That's fine," Sirius replied.

Ginny got up and leaned over to kiss Harry's forehead.

"I'll see you tomorrow. I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too."

Harry's response made Ginny jump. She didn't think that he would say anything and though he was asleep.

Once she knew he was asleep, she headed downstairs to the floo with Sirius behind her. She had gathered her things and turned to Sirius.

"I'll be back tomorrow."

"Thanks for coming, Ginny. We'll see you tomorrow."

In a flash of green Ginny was back at the Burrow. Sirius headed upstairs and checked on Harry before heading to the kitchen to join Remus for dinner.

He decided to fix a plate for Harry as he didn't want to wake him up.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Easter Holiday was over and it was time to return to Hogwarts. Sirius had given Harry the option to Floo to Hogwarts or ride the Express. Harry debated it for an hour before deciding to Floo. The deciding factor was that Molly had let Ginny floo to Hogwarts with Harry to keep him company. Sirius had firecalled Healer Dalton and asked his opinion. He said whichever one made Harry more comfortable while on the floo. They had spent the whole week together while Harry recovered in Sirius's quarters.

Healer Dalton told Sirius to take the bandage off for an hour at a time, to allow the area to breathe and get air. Upon telling Harry, the teen was nervous. He was more nervous about having to walk around with his shirt off or stuck laying on the couch or his bed.

But Ginny came up an idea. Using some of her old hair bands, she fixed Harry's tee shirt by pulling the shirt up and bunching it in the back, using the hair tie to hold it.

"I will buy you more hair ties," Harry promised her when she fixed his shirt for the first time. He had decided to buy her new hair ties in return for helping through his recovery.

The first week back to Hogwarts flew by, and then it was time for Harry's follow up appointment with Healer Dalton. The night before the follow up appointment Harry laid awake, thinking how bad his incision would scar, would it be noticeable?

That's what he feared. He felt comfortable with his shirt off in the dorms and the Quidditch locker room. But Ginny told him it wouldn't be as bad as he was thinking, and told him she would love him just the same. It oddly made him want to cry.

To hear that, his confidence increase. Ginny wanted to hex the Dursleys for what they did to Harry and his confidence.

Taking a deep breath, he got up and walked to the bathroom. The light was still on, and Harry slipped in and shut the door. Looking at himself in the mirror, he pulled up his shirt, looking at his right side.

With help from the balm, it looked more pink and not so red. "It will be okay, Harry," he chanted to himself.

He returned to bed, taking off his glasses and laid down. He was asleep when his head hit the pillow.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry sat on the examination table in the office of Healer Dalton. Today was his appendectomy follow up, it had been almost two weeks since the surgery. Harry was about to climb the walls, he was so bored of no activity. He wanted to go out and fly on his broom or just do something fun that wasn't sitting around on a couch.

He was positive he had gained a few pounds in the two weeks of no activity.

Sirius sat in the chair next to the exam table, reading a magazine, he had found in the waiting room and brought back with him to the exam room.

They hadn't been back very long when there was a knock at the door before it opened.

"Good morning," Healer Dalton greeted, closing the door behind him. "How are we doing?"

"I'm fine," Harry answered.

"He's been resting a lot over the last two weeks and only went to class for half a day at first and then slowly worked up to full day classes which we did this week. He's had a few bouts of upset stomach and some minor pain," Sirius added.

Healer Dalton began asking questions regarding issues they had with the scaring balm or the infection potion, was there any bouts of extreme pain or nausea, and finishing the questions with asking about how the recovery was going.

Sirius and Harry both answered the questions, with Sirius answering most of the questions. Although Harry handled the questions about pain and how he had been feeling overall since the surgery.

As Harry answered the questions, Healer Dalton murmured as he wrote notes Harry's file. He turned the page to the next one and asked Harry if he was ready for him to begin the physical part of the examination.

Harry nodded, replying, "I'm ready."

"Alright, lie back."

Harry laid back on the exam table as directed and without being asked, pulling up his shirt. Healer Dalton took a look at Harry's abdomen before taking off the bandage.

"I'm going to take off the bandage," the healer warned.

"Okay," Harry replied.

Slowly, Healer Dalton pulled off the bandage and looked at the healed incision. Gently, he ran his finger over the incision, noticing that the stitches were ready to come out.

"Looks like the incision healed nicely," the healer noted. "Now, I'm going to remove the stitches and then do a quick abdominal exam."

"Okay," Sirius agreed.

Healer Dalton pointed his wand at the incision, muttered a numbing spell and slowly began to remove the stitches.

"Are you doing okay?" the healer asked his patient. "Just let me know at any one time that this hurts at all."

"I'm okay." Harry turned his head, looking down at his stomach, watching the stitches get removed. Once the last of the stitches was removed, Healer Dalton canceled the numbing spell.

"How's that feel?" Healer Dalton inquired.

"Feels good, actually," Harry replied.

"Can you feel my finger?" Healer Dalton brushed his finger in a circle on Harry's belly, checking to see if the numbing spell was removed.

"Yeah."

"Okay, now I'll start the abdominal exam." Healer Dalton pulled out his Muggle Stethoscope, placing it on Harry's skin began listening to his abdomen.

"I hear a lot of growling and rumbling. His bowels sound normal and healthy," the healer said to Sirius.

"Is there any areas of tenderness or any pain in your belly?" the healer asked, rubbing his hands together to warm them up.

"No," Harry answered.

"Okay, I'm going to start pressing your abdomen, let me know if you feel any pain, tenderness, or uncomfortable."

Harry nodded and watched the healer's hands pressing into different areas of his belly. He could feel the healer's hands pressing firmly in the middle and lower area of his abdomen. Then Healer Dalton moved to the right side and gently pressed over where the area was healing.

"His abdomen feels soft, everything feels normal and healing nicely," The healer told Sirius, who listened as the healer told him that everything was fine.

"You may sit up now," The healer told Harry.

Pulling down his shirt, Harry sat up on the table.

"Well, keep doing what you're doing, in regards to class. Now, as far as activity is concerned, go slow in reintroducing yourself to it. About Quidditch, you may fly and attend practices. Just place a shield around you to keep a bludger from hitting you in the abdomen."

"So, I can play Quidditch again?"

"What position to you play?" the healer asked.

"Seeker," Harry replied, promptly.

"Okay. Just like I said, use a shield. And," he turned to Sirius. "Floo me if you need anything.

"Thank you."

Harry followed Sirius and headed to the fireplaces to floo back to Hogwarts.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ginny entered the Quidditch pitch later that evening. She had a note in her hand and she knew it was from Harry.

 _Meet me at the Quidditch pitch before sunset._

 _Harry._

Looking around, she noticed that no one was around. She had asked Hermione if that was Harry's handwriting just to be sure.

"Hey, babe," a voice whispered behind her.

She turned around and found Harry, freshly showered and in clean clothes, smiling at her.

Ginny smiled and wrapped her arms around Harry's neck, kissing him deeply. They broke apart a moment later.

"Ready for a fly?" Harry asked. Ginny knew what Harry was planning. They were going to fly around and watch the sunset.

It was getting dusk as she mounded the broom and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Before you say anything, no you're not hurting me," Harry said.

"Okay."

Harry kicked off and they enjoyed a moment just the two of them, watching the sunset. Ginny rested her chin on Harry's shoulder, as they watched the sunset. They hovered in silence, as they watched the sun go down.

Over the next few years, Ginny took care of Harry when he was sick. She nursed him back to health, with the assistance of Sirius and others on her own. She would even take care of him after rough Quidditch practices, helping treat any injuries he might have. She made sure that Harry got a little tender, love, and care.

 **Thus concluded the Appendicitis storyline.**


	9. Finally a Family

**Finally a Family**

 **Summary: Once Sirius's name is cleared, he's only request is full custody of his godson. After twelve years of wishing for a family, will Harry's wish finally come true?**

 **Takes place towards the end of POA, right before The Beginning of a New Life.**

Harry sat curled up in the dormer in the third year boy's dorm in Gryffindor tower. The sun was about to rise, bringing with it a new day. Yesterday, Harry couldn't seem to get out of his mind. Yesterday started out so normal, until yesterday evening. Yesterday was the day that Buckbeak would be put to death and Harry, Ron, and Hermione had gone down to Hagrid's. But that wasn't what Harry was thinking about.

Yesterday, he found out that Sirius Black, the man who everyone thought was trying to kill Harry and who was named his godfather, was innocent. Ron's rat, Scabbers, was Peter Pettigrew, the one who was responsible for everything that happened on that night in Godric's Hollow.

All the events that followed, ending with Sirius leaving on Buckbeak, had left Harry wondering if his life had really changed.

His thoughts were broken by the sound of the door to the boy's room creaking open. Harry didn't pay any attention to it and leaned his head against the wall.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Hermione whispered.

Harry nodded, mutely, his eyes not leaving the scene outside the window. He didn't know that Hermione had sat down beside him until she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Madam Pomfrey is letting Ron go this morning. I thought we'd meet him in the hospital wing before breakfast."

Once again Harry nodded mutely, and got up and gathered some clothes to change into and headed to the bathroom.

Hermione sighed, watching him go. She got up from the floor and had nearly collided with Neville.

"Is he okay?" Neville asked.

No one said anything about Hermione's appearance in the boy's dorm. She had been up here a few times to drag (sometimes literally) Harry and Ron out of bed. She came up here when Harry had a migraine and between her and Ron, they took care of him.

"Tell Harry, I'll be waiting for him in the common room." Without another word, Hermione left the dorm and headed down to the common room.

Their adventures from yesterday would remain a secret between them three and Professor Dumbledore.

She nearly jumped as Crookshanks purred against her leg. Maybe Ron would be a little more friendly to him. But then Harry had never treated Crookshanks horribly and yet the cat seemed to hate Harry. Well, until Harry had given the cat a treat.

She nearly laughed out loud when she remembered the time Crookshanks had climbed into Harry's lap, making the boy freeze. She had to move him so Harry could go before he was late for Quidditch practice.

Harry came down to the common room, carrying Ron's rucksack with a change of clothes for the redhead to change into.

"Ready to go, Hermione?"

"Yes. Let's go."

The walk to the hospital wing was in silence. Neither Harry or Hermione said anything other than returning the greeting of "Good morning" from other students.

When they reached the hospital wing, Harry opened the door and held it open for Hermione.

"Thanks Harry," she said, as she entered the hospital wing.

Ron was sitting up on the side of the bed, waiting to for them. His injuries were healed and he was able to walk. Madam Pomfrey had decided to keep him an extra day to make sure that his leg was healing.

"How are you, Ron?" Hermione asked.

"I'm fine." He turned to his other best friend. "Is that clothes?"

"Yeah, Catch." Harry tossed the rucksack to Ron, who caught it and headed to the bathroom to change.

Harry and Hermione were waiting for him when he came out. He and Harry packed up the few books and magazines Fred and George brought him yesterday in the rucksack.

"Ready to go?" Hermione asked.

"I'm ready. Let's go to breakfast."

The trio walked out of the hospital wing with a 'goodbye' to Madam Pomfrey the three teens headed to the Great Hall. The walk was long from the hospital wing, neither of them saying a word. There was no need to since the halls were getting crowded and Hermione didn't want to talk about the events from the previous few days with others around.

They sat down at their usual place at the Gryffindor table, in the middle, but not so close to anybody. Nobody bothered them, but they ignored Professor Snape's scowl when he looked towards them.

Harry looked between Hermione and Ron and passed them a note. Hermione looked at the note and then at Harry. Hermione reached for the note and then looked at Ron. They shared a look between them and Hermione opened the folded parchment.

 _Boy's dorm twenty minutes._

Hermione and Ron looked at each other and then back to Harry. They both nodded, agreeing.

Harry nodded and stuffed the rest of his toast in his mouth and took a drink of juice before he left the table.

Hermione and Ron finished their breakfast, quickly and got up from the table to follow Harry.

"Does Harry look depressed to you?" Hermione asked, quietly.

"Does Harry look what?"

Hermione sighed. Of course, Ron wouldn't know about depression.

"Let me rephrase the question. Does Harry look gloomy to you?"

"Oh." Ron finally understood what Hermione was talking about. She had used the term gloomy to describe Harry's mood last year when everyone thought he was on the one who was causing all the attacks on Muggle-born students.

No one questioned why Harry would attack his own best friend.

"Yeah," Ron answered. "He had been since….." Ron didn't need to say any more.

Hermione gave the password to the Fat Lady and they entered the common and headed up to the boys dorm.

"I was up to get Harry this morning. He seemed to be depressed or gloomy then," Hermione said, in her normal voice. Everyone was down at breakfast so Gryffindor tower was empty, other than the three of them.

They entered the boy's dorm and found Harry lying on his bed on his stomach.

"Harry? What's wrong?"

"I'm just thinking about Sirius. Kicking myself for not doing anything to keep that rat from escaping, I should have let Remus and Sirius kill him."

Ron and Hermione shared a look of shock before turning back to Harry.

"Me living with him would be out of the question. I guess I'm stuck at the Dursleys for the whole summer." Harry turned to Ron and asked, "You would rescue me again would you?"

Once Ron got over his shock, he nodded. "Of course, mate. I will come and get you anytime."

"Maybe by some miracle, you could stay with someone else," Hermione added, trying to brighten the mood in the room, failing miserably.

"Yeah."

Hermione told Ron she would be back and that she needed to feed Crookshanks. She left and was gone for ten minutes before she frantically ran up the stairs to the boy's dorm. Harry and Ron jumped at her sudden appearance.

Hermione looked between Ron and Harry and asked "Have either of you two seen Crookshanks? I can't find him."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"How in the world did we end up on a hunt for that demon cat?" Ron asked Harry as they walked through the courtyard.

"I don't know, but he wasn't at the tree by the lake, or Hagrid's. He wasn't really where, Hermione said he was. If this was Hedwig, all I would need to do is call her and she comes. That cat, I don't think it even listens to Hermione," Harry replied.

"Come on, let's go back to the common room and see if Hermione is back."

They walked the long way to the seventh floor, back to Gryffindor tower. They pigged backed into the common room behind a group of fifth years.

Harry and Ron looked around the common room for their bushy headed best friend. They asked Ginny to check and see if she was in her dorm. The youngest Weasley returned, shaking her head, telling the boys that Hermione wasn't up there.

"Hermione's not back yet, I guess we'll just wait for her then," Harry stated, dropping heavily into a chair.

George, who with the group of fifth years, asked, "What's going on?"

"Crookshanks is missing," Ron informed his brother, sitting down on the couch.

George looked towards the portrait hole, and said "Here he comes now. I guess he was just out hunting."

Ron and Harry turned to look at the cat. Crookshanks had a rat in its mouth.

"So he just went out hunting? I swear Hermione panics over the least little…..." Ron trailed off when he noticed Harry's paled face and his eyes widen. "Mate, what's wrong?"

Harry didn't say anything, just pointed to the rat, his hand shaking. Ron slowly took a step towards Crookshanks and he took a sharp inhale of breath.

This was no ordinary rat Crookshanks had. This one was missing a toe.

"Is that….." Harry trailed off.

"Yes, Harry." Ron turned to his best mate, his expression matching Harry's.

"George?" Ron called.

"Yes, Ron?"

"Block the portrait hole." Fred came downstairs to see where George had gone. "Fred, block the stairs," Ron ordered. Fred stood at the stairs, realizing there was something going on and it had to do with Hermione's cat.

Slowly, Harry and Ron approached the cat.

"Nice Crookshanks. Just hand us over the rat," Ron said to the cat.

Crookshanks took off in a circle. Ron chased after it while Harry tried to cut him off. The cat ran a circle around the couch.

With Ron chasing him and Harry trying to cut him off, it snuck under the couch. Ron and Harry bang heads together when they both came around opposite sides of the couch.

"OW!"

"Sorry, mate."

"Where did he go?"

"He got by Fred and went up the stairs," George told them. He and Fred didn't know what was going on. They looked at each other, shrugged and left the common room.

Harry and Ron ran up the stairs two at a time. Harry, who was in the lead, saw him go in their dorm. Then Harry remembered something.

"Ron, we're idiots."

"Why?"

Harry pulled out his wand and shouted " _Petrificus Totalus!_ "

The cat was petrified and so was, luckily enough for Harry, so was the rat. Ron prided the rat out of the cat's mouth and took a close look at the petrified rodent.

"It's him, Harry," Ron breathed.

Harry leaned against his bedpost, panting for breath. The only sound in the room was his and Ron's heavy breathing.

Ron located his old cage and placed a locking spell on the cage. _Thank you, Hermione,_ Ron thought as he said the carnation for the locking spell.

Harry and Ron looked at each other and said "Dumbledore" in unison and then ran down the stairs, out the portrait hole, nearly colliding with Ginny and her friends, and ran all the way to the headmaster's office.

"Jolly Ranchers," Harry shouted to the gargoyle. It opened and Harry and Ron ran up the steps to the door to Professor Dumbledore's office.

He and Harry took a moment to catch their breath before Harry knocked on the door.

"Enter," Dumbledore called. The door opened and Harry and Ron rushed in. Harry sat the cage down on the desk.

"Here, sir. It's him!" Harry exclaimed.

Professor Dumbledore took a look into the cage. The rat he was looking at was missing a toe. He looked back up to the two boys in his office and said, "Thank you. Now if you excuse me, I'll need to make a few calls." The headmaster got up and headed to the floo on his office.

"Professor," Harry began hesitantly. "Does this mean…."

"Yes, Harry. It does," Professor Dumbledore replied.

"Thank you," Harry said, sincerely.

He and Ron left the office and headed back to Gryffindor tower.

"That has got to be the most exercise I had in my life," Ron stated.

"I think I pulled a muscle in my side," Harry said, rubbing his left side. "It can't be a stitch because of what all Oliver has put me through this year." He could thank his lucky stars that this was Oliver's last year and next year they would have a new captain.

They walked back to Gryffindor tower in good spirits. They entered the common room to find an irate Hermione. Upon seeing her, both boys backed away slowly. They didn't know what she was going to do.

"Which one of you petrified my cat?!" She exclaimed loudly.

"I did. But Hermione, he had," Harry said and then stopped when he realized he was talking out loud and walked over to where Hermione was standing and whispered in her ear.

"He had you know who in his mouth," he explained.

Hermione looked at Harry shocked written all over her face. "WHAT!"

Harry and Ron shushed her and then they grabbed her hand and led or, more likely, dragged Hermione upstairs to the boys' dorm. Once there, Ron shut the door and Harry explained to Hermione, what had just happened.

"That is sheer dumb luck. Does this mean that…?" Hermione trailed off.

"Sirius's name would be cleared?" Hermione nodded. "Yes.'

They came back down to the common room where Professor McGonagall was waiting. Upon seeing Harry, she said, "Potter, Professor Dumbledore would like to see you."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry was still in shock as he walked back to Gryffindor tower. He hoped this wasn't a dream because ten minutes ago, his life changed. His life changed for the better. He was never going back to the Dursleys!

Professor Dumbledore had called the Aurors, Amelia Bones, and Minister Fudge. He had located where Sirius was and brought him to the castle and kept him hidden until Peter Pettigrew's identity was revealed. After administering Veritaserum, Peter Pettigrew's identity was revealed much to the shock and horror to the Head of Magical Law Enforcement.

Then Professor Dumbledore revealed Sirius and Fudge had no choice but to declare him innocent.

Sirius was declared innocent and given a good compensation from the Ministry. Professor Dumbledore asked him if wanted anything else and Sirius said there was.

Sirius didn't even have to think. "Custody of my godson, Harry."

It took every ounce of willpower for Harry not to run to Sirius and hug him to death. Especially when Dumbledore looked at Fudge, who nodded and said "Consider it granted. Congratulations."

Once they were done, Remus, who was also present, escorted Sirius down to Madam Pomfrey. They had invited Harry to come along, but the teen had asked if he could join them later. This was news he wanted to share with his friends.

He didn't remember how he had got to Gryffindor tower or said the password. Ron and Hermione were waiting for him on the couch in front of the fire. They looked up when they heard the portrait open and waited until Harry came to them before they asked any questions.

"What happened Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Sirius was declared innocent and Fudge gave some compensation for twelve years he spent in prison. Dumbledore asked him if he wanted anything else and he said that…." Harry trailed off.

"What?"

"Tell us, Mate," Ron encouraged.

"He wanted me," Harry whispered.

"He what!" Hermione exclaimed, excitedly.

"He wanted me," Harry repeated.

Hermione gasped, covering her mouth and her eyes willing up with happy tears.

"Does this mean what I hope it means?" Ron inquired, with a smile. He was happy for his best friend as this would mean he would finally have a family.

"I will be living with Sirius? Yes." Harry looked between them and told them that Sirius was in the hospital wing and that he was heading that way.

"Would you like to come with me?" Harry asked.

Ron and Hermione shared a look before Hermione nodded. "Sure. Let's go."

The trio left the common room and walked down the stairs to the main corridor. They knew the route to the hospital wing very well by this point.

"I think we could walk this way, blindfolded since we've been here many times."

Silence followed Hermione's statement until Harry realized what she was implying.

"Oi! Are you saying that it's my fault?" he asked.

"Well, Mate," Ron began. "Of the three of us, you've been here more than Hermione and I."

They made it to the hospital wing where Remus was waiting outside the private room. The door was shut and Remus was standing outside like a guard. The hospital wing was empty with just Remus and now, Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Hello Professor," Hermione greeted.

"We're not in class, Miss Granger. You may call me Remus," Remus said.

"Okay," Hermione replied.

The door opened enough for Madam Pomfrey to peak out and ask Remus if he could get Sirius some clothes.

"I have some pajamas in my quarters I could give him and some other clothes until he could get some of his own. I will be right back."

The door closed and Remus walked out of the hospital wing. Harry, Hermione, and Ron were left alone. Madam Pomfrey did peak out and told them that they may visit in a little bit once she was finished.

Hermione and Ron sat down a bed and Harry remained standing.

"I'm happy for you Harry," Hermione said, breaking the silence that had ascended on the hospital wing.

"Thanks, Hermione."

"You finally get to have a family."

Harry walked towards the window overlooking the front of the castle. "If this is a dream I hope I don't wake up," he suddenly stated.

Ron and Hermione looked at each other, stunned at Harry's statement. No one noticed that Remus had returned, but had stopped at hearing Harry's voice.

"All my life, I've dreamed, wished, hoped, that someone would come and take me away from the Dursleys. Someone would rescue me from the hell I lived in."

Ron and Hermione, once again, looked at each other. Harry had never opened up to them like this before.

"And now….." Harry trailed off, his voice cracking. He didn't notice that Ron and Hermione had moved to stand on either side of him until he felt a hand on their shoulder.

"Somebody pinch me, I want to make sure this isn't a dream."Harry voice was just above a whisper, but it seemed to ego off the stone walls of the hospital wing.

Hermione looked at Ron, who shrugged his shoulders and pinched a place on Harry's upper arm.

"Ow. Thanks." Harry let a breath he didn't realize he had been holding.

Then Ron and Hermione seen something they had never seen before. Tears running down Harry's face.

"I don't know what I did to deserve this," Harry said, softly, but the words once again echoed off the stone walls.

Ron and Hermione wrapped an arm around their friend, hoping to provide him with some comfort.

Hermione realized what Harry was meaning. "You think don't deserve this. To have a family, someone who apparently, loves you."

Harry nodded, sniffling.

"You think you don't deserve to be happy?" Harry nodded once more.

"Harry," Hermione began and moved to where she was standing in front him. "You do," she emphasized 'do'. "Deserve it."

"More than anyone I know, mate," Ron added, coming to his other side.

"I don't have go back to the Dursleys anymore," Harry stated, finally realizing what living with Sirius meant.

"No you don't Harry. I'm very happy for you," Hermione said, before hugging Harry again.

Remus chose then to make his presence know and he cleared his throat. Harry hastily wiped his eyes and turned around towards his favorite professor.

"Sorry to interrupt, we can go in now," Remus informed the trio. They followed Remus into the hospital wing and into a private room of the hospital wing.

"I've never been here before," Harry said.

Ron and Hermione both looked like they were going to disagree and remind Harry he'd been in the hospital wing many times before, but before they did Harry added "in here that is."

Remus chuckled, remembering the amount of times James had spent in here. Harry had apparently inherited James's clumsiness and accident prone nature.

Sirius stepped out of the bathroom, having changed into some pajamas that Remus had. He sat down on the bed as Remus entered the room with the three teens behind him.

"Hello there," he greeted.

"Hi, Sirius," Harry returned, but Ron and Hermione were confused on what to call him. Sirius caught on quickly.

"You may call me Sirius, Mr. Black was my father and, need I say he wasn't a pleasant man."

Remus coughed, signaling now wasn't the time for that talk. Sirius luckily caught on and quickly changed the subject.

"You're Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. I've heard a lot about you two."

The three teens looked at the shaggy headed man confused. Remus chuckled and said, "I told him about you three, more about you Harry than anything else."

Harry then realized something he didn't do yet.

"In case I haven't said it yet, thanks for the broom," Harry said to Sirius.

"You're welcome," Sirius returned.

Conversation flowed soon after that, after Sirius asked Harry when he got on the Quidditch team. Sirius smiled proudly and even told Harry "Your father would be proud of you being on the Quidditch team your first year. Your mother on the other hand would be ranting and then fretting."

Remus, Ron, and Hermione listened quietly, only making a comment here and there. Sirius asked how they had become friends and Harry shared a smile with Ron as he told Sirius about meeting Ron on the train, sharing a compartment with him and a bunch of sweets and how their friendship had formed the way it had since. Then Ron and Harry together with Hermione, adding a comment here and there, told how they become friends with Hermione.

"You mean to tell me you three went up against a full grown mountain troll and lived to tell about it?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah," the three teens replied.

"Wow," was all Sirius had said.

They talked until it was almost curfew and Remus walked Harry, Ron, and Hermione back to Gryffindor tower.

Harry decided that tomorrow, he was going to go down and spend more time with Sirius.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

To Sirius surprise, Harry came down after class was out for the day. Harry had slipped in quietly, but was followed by Professor Lupin. Madam Pomfrey smiled from the other side of the hospital wing as she watched Harry and Remus speak for a second before heading into Sirius's room together.

"Madam Pomfrey recommended a healer for me to see later in the summer," Sirius had told Remus while Harry had excused himself to use the restroom. "I asked her recommendation for a healer for Harry and she said she'd get back to me." Sirius paused for a second and looked towards the door before turning back to Remus. "She actually recommended I take Harry to one and soon after he comes home." Sirius smiled as he thought of spending time with Harry and getting to know him. But that word, home. Where was home?

"Do you know where you're going to live?" Remus asked.

"I'll have a few weeks before Harry leaves here. I'm going to take that time and look for a place to live. Albus gave me some information on a few houses to look at and I'm going to check them out when I get out of here."

Remus nodded, smiling as he thought of having his friend back.

"Poppy told me that she thinks that Harry….." Sirius trailed off.

"Harry what?" Remus prompted.

"Harry was abused by his relatives. She said that Harry leaves here at a healthy weight for his age and then he returns skinner then he was when he left. She also said that she usually gets records from St. Mungo's and she hadn't got one on Harry. What she has is what she's done in the three years he's been here."

Remus nodded and cleared his throat, signaling Sirius to Harry returning.

"How about for now, you tell me something that I don't know about you?"

Harry glanced at Remus, who realized what Harry was thinking and nodded encouragingly.

"My favorite subject is Defense," Harry supplied.

"And tell him about the dueling demonstration." At Sirius's questioning look, Remus explained what he did in class.

"In our class I won," Harry supplied, when Remus trailed off.

"Not just his class, the whole third year class," Remus added.

Sirius was shocked. But soon he beamed with pride and said the first thing that came to his mind.

"Your dad would be so proud of you."

There was a slight pause until Harry whispered "thanks."

"Anything else?" Sirius asked.

"I know how to cast a patronus," Harry replied. He pulled out his wand. "Expecto Patronum."

A bright light shined in the room and then Sirius gasped upon seeing the glowing white stag.

"Prongs," he whispered. He turned to Harry and realized why he had to learn this charm. "Oh Harry, I don't know what to say."

Harry shrugged. "I know something that others in my class don't, so I don't mind."

Remus chuckled. Sirius started firing off questions and Harry answered them. Some of them he answered politely as could be and to others cheeky.

God, he reminded them of James and Lily that it was almost hard to listen to him talk. He sounded like James, looked James, and acted like James. But his personality was all Lily. He was sweet, kind, thoughtful, and smart, but there was some mischievous in there too. 

They talked all day, breaking for lunch and dinner, and talked until it was an hour before curfew. Harry left the hospital wing to make it to Gryffindor tower before curfew.

Harry smiled, as he thought of the remaining two weeks of school. He was looking forward to going home for the summer. He was looking forward to it.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

A few days later, Sirius had a dressed in new clothes that he bought by owl order and headed up to Professor McGonagall's office. He had some business to take care of before he left the school to begin looking for a house for him, Remus, and Harry. He needed to talk to Remus about living with him and Harry. He climbed the stairs and headed towards the head of Gryffindor's office. He knocked the door.

"Enter," a voice called.

Sirius opened the door and was immediately greeted by Professor McGonagall.

"Good to see you out and about," Professor McGonagall stated, after making small talk.

"It's good to be out and about." Sirius sat down at the chair in front of the desk, declining the offer of tea. "I got a meeting at Gringotts in an hour, but I wanted to take a moment to finish some business here."

Professor McGonagall smiled and pulled out a Hogsmeade permission form. She pushed it across the desk and Sirius picked it up, reading it for a second, and then picked up a quill and signed his signature at the line. He checked it over before handing it to Professor McGonagall.

As a treat, that morning, Professor Dumbledore announced that there would be a special Hogsmeade day. The third years were gathered in the entrance hall, waiting to leave.

Harry was heading towards the library when Professor McGonagall called for him to come to her.

Sirius watched as Harry and Professor McGonagall talked for a moment before Harry turned towards him and then looked back at his head of house. Harry's mouth dropped opened and Sirius knew that he had been told that he signed his permission form. Once Professor McGonagall left, Harry launched himself at Sirius.

"Thank you," Harry said, voice muffled by his shirt.

"You're welcome."

Harry joined Hermione and Ron just as the last call was announced. He smiled as he headed down to the village with his friends.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry helped Hermione carry library books back to the library the day before the train was to leave for London. Ron had been listed to help the twins search for their joke products and really was glad that Harry volunteered to help Hermione.

"Do you know what you're doing this summer?" Hermione asked.

"Not yet. I guess it would be spent getting used to living with someone that's not the Dursley's."

Hermione nodded and made small talk, discussing some the things they were going to do this summer. Harry realized that he could do his homework and fly on his broom. He, funny enough, was looking forward to it.

The idea of living with someone who cared for him, was enough to make him want to be home, wherever that would be, with Sirius. He was looking forward to not returning to the Dursleys and the hell he lived in with them.

He kept thinking about the things they could do while packing to go home, even going as far as making a list. He was excited about it that he couldn't sleep that night. He even dreamed of the things he and Sirius would do together.

He finally had a family. His childhood wish and dream had come true.

 **AN: This was the result of a plot bunny, mainly regarding the conversation between Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the hospital wing. Hope you enjoy!**


	10. Middle of the Night Illness

**Middle of the Night Illness**

 **Summary: Harry gets sick in the middle of the night. Sirius takes care of him.**

Harry had gone to bed abnormally early. He had gotten up from the couch at eight thirty and announced he was going to bed. Sirius didn't question him, figuring Harry was just tired from the day's events. They had gone to London and spent some godfather and godson bonding time. Remus was gone on a trip and would be back in a few days, leaving Harry and Sirius alone.

Sirius had waited ten minutes before he went upstairs and checked on Harry. He was already in bed and sound asleep. Approaching the bed, Sirius tucked the blanket around Harry and kissed his forehead. After he had collected the laundry from Harry's bathroom, he returned downstairs and dropped off the laundry to in the scullery and returned to the family room and watched more television.

It was ten when Sirius yawned and decided to go to bed. He turned off the lights and checked to see if the doors were secure before making his way upstairs. He was about to enter his bedroom when he heard something from Harry's room. It sounded like a groan of pain.

Turning around, Sirius rushed to Harry's bedroom and threw open the door.

Harry was sitting up in his bed, his arms wrapped around his middle. He had puked on the side of his bed and in his lap. He looked very miserable with tears running down his face.

Sirius rushed to the bathroom next door and wet a washcloth before returning to Harry's room. He vanished the mess and sat down on the bed and began to wipe Harry's face, cleaning off the sweat, puke, and tears.

"I'm sorry, Sirius."

"You can't help being sick," Sirius murmured, pushing back the fringe from Harry's face. "Why don't you go and get another shower while clean this up?"

Harry nodded and stood up, heading to the bathroom. Sirius gathered a change of pajamas for Harry and another pair of boxers and dropped them in his armchair to give Harry when he finished in the shower. Sirius stripped the sheets from Harry's bed and banished them to the scullery. He headed out to the hall and opened the linen closet and pulled out clean sheets for Harry's bed. He made the bed quickly and waited for Harry to finish in the bathroom.

It was then Sirius realized that the water hadn't been turned on yet. He approached the bathroom door and knocked.

"Harry?" Sirius called. His response was retching.

He swiftly opened the door and approached his godson. Harry was sitting front of the toilet, throwing up with his arms wrapped around his middle. He felt Sirius push back his fringe away from his face and rub soothing circles on his back.

When he finished, he tilted his head back against Sirius's shoulder, groaning softly.

"Did you get everything out?" Sirius inquired, softly.

"I think so," Harry whispered.

"Alright then, time for a shower." Sirius reached up and flushed the toilet and then helped Harry to his feet and turned the shower, supporting Harry's weight as he checked the temperature. When the temperature was right, Sirius helped Harry strip off his shirt and pajama bottoms

"Alright in you go."

Sirius helped Harry into the shower, not really caring that Harry still had on his boxers. Harry held on to the wall of the shower to keep himself from falling on his face.

"I'll be in your bedroom if you need me, just beside the door." Harry nods and Sirius leaves. When he hears the water turning off, he slips in quietly to give Harry a change of pajamas.

Ten minutes later he comes out of the bathroom and Sirius wraps an arm and his shoulders and walked him to his bed. Harry laid down and turned on his side, facing away from Sirius.

"Do you need anything?" Sirius asked.

"No."

Sirius pats his shoulder and murmurs that he would be back. He leaves for a moment and returns with a cup of water. He sat it down on his nightstand and sat down on the side of the bed.

"Sirius you don't have to stay with me," Harry said, softly.

"I know, Pup. But you're sick and I'm Godfather, where else should I be?"

"Okay," Harry whispered, agreeing with Sirius. Despite the fact that it's been a month since

Harry moved in with Sirius and Remus, he was still getting used to having someone who cared in his life. Harry still felt like he had to take care of himself, especially when he got sick.

The only sound in the quiet room was Harry's breathing. Soon it evened out telling Sirius he had fallen asleep.

Sirius got up to move to the armchair, not wanting to leave Harry until he was sure that Harry would remain asleep or if he would wake up sick again. He didn't want to leave Harry in case he got sick again.

His prediction was proven correct when twenty minutes later, Harry sat up with a groan. One hand over his mouth and the other was gripping his stomach. Sirius picked him quickly and quickly rushed him to the bathroom. He barely made it in front of the toilet when Harry was puking again.

 _Merlin, how much more does he have left?_ Sirius thought. Harry retched until he was dry heaving and a few tears slipped out of his eyes.

"Hey buddy. It's okay." Sirius rubbed his back in soothing circles.

"I'm sorry, Sirius," Harry whispers.

"Its okay, Prongslet, you can't control it."

Harry shudders and nods his head slowly. He's a little pale, but nothing else seemed to be wrong with him. Sirius reached up and placed his hand on his forehead. He's warm.

Sighing, Sirius scoots back, leaning against the wall. This seemed like it was going to be an all night thing.

"Does anything else hurt or is it just your stomach?"

"Just my stomach," Harry replied, groaning softly as his stomach churned.

"Maybe it's food poisoning? What have you eaten recently?" 

Harry closed his eyes. "Hold that thought," he said quickly, his cheeks inflating and he vomited once more in the toilet.

"We ate pizza tonight."

"I don't think it was the pizza. What about yesterday?" Sirius inquired.

"Chinese, the same as you," Harry replied, leaning against Sirius, drawing his legs up to his chest. His arms were still wrapped around his middle.

"So everything you ate, I ate?"

Harry nodded and then paused. "Wait a minute. We had Mexican for lunch when we went to London today."

This reminds Sirius that he and Harry had gone to London that day to spend some time together. They went to London Dungeon and they went exploring in London. Harry had never been anywhere in London and Sirius wanted to see what was new since he had been there before he was in prison.

Harry and Sirius had a good time, exploring London and had ended up at a new Mexican place for lunch before they headed to Diagon Alley to pick up a few things.

"We did, didn't we," Sirius murmured. "Think it was the taco?"

Harry nodded mutely, trying to keep from puking again. He wanted nothing more but for his stomach to quit churning and hurting and for him to go back to sleep. But his stomach wasn't listening.

"Maybe or maybe it was something I put on it. I've eaten them before and they never bothered me before."

Sirius nodded and rubbed soothing circles on Harry's back. Like when he was a baby, it was better to rub Harry's back with skin to skin contact. The same with his stomach. If Sirius rubbed his stomach, he would sneak his hand under Harry's shirt or pull it up.

Harry leaned over the toilet and puked again, this time he made a whimpering sound. Sirius put his hand on Harry's back to let him know it was okay. When he was finished, he reached to flush the toilet, but couldn't reach it. Sirius did it for him and pulled Harry into an embrace.

"Does it feel better to lie down?" Sirius asked. Harry nodded. It did feel a little better to lie down.

Sirius helped Harry laid down in a position where he was lying down with his head in Sirius's lap. He didn't move Harry back to his bed because he had a feeling they would back here. They might as well stay here instead of moving Harry back to his bed. Sirius had a feeling they would be here all night.

Once Harry was comfortable, Sirius leaned his back against the wall and rested his hand on Harry's back and his other hand on his knee. Leaning his head back against the wall, Sirius let his close so he could rest for a moment.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Sirius woke up to the sound of retching, telling him that Harry was puking again. He rubbed his eyes awake while he was making his way back to his godson. He scooted in behind Harry and rubbed his back. When Harry stopped, Sirius patted his shoulder.

"I'm going to get you something to drink." Harry nodded, resting his head on the toilet seat.

Sirius got up and rushed downstairs to the kitchen. He got some water bottled and rushed back upstairs.

"Here, Pup. We can't have you getting dehydrated."

Harry took a few sips and then suddenly, he leaned forward and threw up again. Sirius rubbed Harry's back in soothing circles as he puked. When he was done, Harry leaned back against Sirius.

"I feel like my insides are flipping inside out," Harry groaned, wincing as he felt his stomach cramp.

"I know, it hurts," Sirius murmured. He picked up the bottle of water and handed it to Harry. "Here, slow sips. Hopefully this will still down." If this didn't stay down, Sirius would need to get some hydrating potion.

Harry held his hand up and then leaned forward and puked again. "How much more is in there?" Sirius blurted. Harry threw up one more time and leaned back against Sirius.

"I think I'm done," Harry said, hoarsely. He took the water from Sirius and sipped the water, trying to get the yucky taste out of his mouth. "I think I need to take a shower."

"Okay. I will be on the other side of the door if you need me."

Harry nodded and let Sirius help him up from the floor. While Harry turned on the water in the shower and stripped off his sweaty clothes, Sirius slips in with a clean change of pajamas and boxers.

"Thanks, Sirius," Harry murmured.

Sirius smiled at his godson, hoping that after his shower, he would get some sleep and that Harry's illness had run its course.

"You're welcome."

Sirius waited for Harry to finish in the shower. He checked the sheets and noticed they were damp from the sweat. Harry must have started to sweat when he woke up sick again. Sirius stripped the bed again, this time decided to take Harry back to his room when he finishes in the shower.

Ten minutes later, Harry stepped out of the bathroom. He dropped his clothes in the hamper and walked over to where Sirius was waiting.

"Are you ready to go back to bed? I thought we'd go to my room and sleep there."

Harry nodded and let Sirius led him to his bedroom. The king size bed was inviting and Harry knew from experience, it was comfortable. He had his own pillow under his arm and laid it down on the head of the bed before he laid down.

He was just getting comfortable when Sirius laid down beside him on the other side

"Sirius?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"Can you…." Harry trailed off, trying to figure out how to ask what he wanted and not sound pathetic.

"What is it, Harry?" Sirius asked.

"Well, my stomach feels sore and I was….."

Thankfully for Harry, Sirius figured it out. Without needing to be told, Sirius reached over and sneaked his hand under Harry's shirt and placed his hand on Harry's stomach. At first, Harry tensed at the contact and then he relaxed as Sirius began to run soothing circles on Harry's abdomen.

This wasn't the first time Sirius rubbed Harry's stomach. Harry had to take nutrient potions for a short time in the beginning of the summer and they caused terrible stomach cramps. The only thing that really helped was Sirius rubbing Harry's stomach.

"Does that feel better?" Sirius inquired.

"Yeah," Harry sighed. "Thanks, Sirius."

"Anytime, Pup. Anytime."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO 

Sirius woke up the next morning to find Harry curled into his side and a stiff neck. Looking down at Harry, Sirius was relieved to find that he wasn't as pale was he was last night and hoped that he was doing better. He ran a hand through his hair, making Harry shift closer. He opened one eye and looked up at Sirius.

"How are you feeling?" Sirius asked, softly.

"Tired," Harry replied with a yawn. Sirius smiled at him and was about to get up and move Harry to his room when Harry asked "Can I stay here?"

Sirius nodded. "Of course."

"Can you stay with me?" Harry's voice sounded younger than his fourteen years. 

Sirius nodded and laid down beside him. Harry snuggled up against him, curling himself around him. Sirius leaned over and kissed Harry's forehead and fell asleep.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Remus opened the front door to find the house quiet. He paused in the front hall, figuring out if something happened. He walked towards the kitchen to find it empty. He slipped in the scullery and dropped his bag beside the washer.

He stepped back out into the kitchen and walked towards the family room and then into the sitting room. Both rooms were empty. Where were Harry and Sirius?

Walking back towards the kitchen, Remus looked out the window and opened the back door and stepped out. They weren't outside neither.

He returned inside and headed upstairs. Opening the door to Sirius's room, he paused at the doorway and took a sigh of relief.

Harry and Sirius were both asleep in Sirius's bed, despite it being close to eleven in the morning.

He was about to back out of the room when he noticed that Sirius was stirring.

"You know it's a little freaky to stand there and watch someone sleep," Sirius murmured.

Remus smiled and watched as Sirius untangled himself from the teenager. When Sirius was up from the bed, he approached his friend and they hugged in greeting. Deciding to let Harry sleep a little longer, they headed downstairs to the kitchen.

"What happened?" Remus whispered.

"Harry got sick last night," Sirius replied and then explained what happened.

"I hate that he got sick. Do you think this another effect from living with his relatives? Plus didn't Healer Morris say that it would Harry a while adapt to being able to eat different foods."

"He did," Sirius said. He had taken Harry to see the healer the week after Harry had come home from Hogwarts. One of the problems Harry had been having was with his stomach. Like living with Sirius, Harry's stomach would need time to adjust, especially to things Harry had never had before.

The sound of the floor creaking brought their attention to the third occupant of the house. Harry came downstairs and shuffled into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Harry. How are you feeling?" Sirius inquired.

"Better," Harry replied, sitting down in a chair at the table. "Hi Remus. When did you get home?"

"A little bit ago," Remus answered. "Felt like eating something for breakfast? Porridge?"

Harry thought for a second before he nodded his head and Sirius got up and started to make some porridge for breakfast.

Sirius looked over at his godson and smiled as he read the _Prophet,_ looking over the Quidditch scores and then reading the comics. He stirred the porridge and then fixed a glass of orange juice and banished it to the table. Harry never flinched and to Sirius's amusement, he had picked up the glass and sipped on the juice, his eyes never leaving the paper.

Ladling the porridge in a bowl, Sirius began to serve breakfast. He took Harry his first and then took care of his own.

"Thanks, Sirius," Harry said, closing the paper and beginning to eat his breakfast.

"You're welcome.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Later that day, Harry walked into the study where Sirius was reviewing paperwork. To bring himself to his godfather's attention, Harry knocked on the door to the study.

"Yes, Harry?' Sirius said, looking up from the form he was looking at.

"How did you know it was me?" Harry asked.

"Because Remus doesn't knock and you do." Sirius smiled and patted the chair beside him. "What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to say thank you for taking care of me last night," Harry said.

Sirius sat his papers down and turned to his godson. "Harry, come here." He opened his arms to Harry. When Harry got closer to Sirius, the shaggy headed man pulled him into an embrace. "I will always take care of you when you are sick. I don't care what is wrong with you, if you get something big like the Wizard's Flu or something little like last night with a stomach ache, I will take care of you."

Harry nodded. "Next time we get Mexican, I think I'll skip the beans."

"I think so too," Sirius agreed. He hugged Harry from the side and said, "You will tell me if you don't feel good won't you?"

Harry nodded. "I will. You do take good care of me."

"Thank you, Pup. That means a lot to hear you say that."

"You're welcome, Sirius."

From that moment on, anytime Harry didn't feel well or was sick he would tell Sirius. Even if he had another middle of the night illness, it didn't matter. Sirius would take care of him.


	11. Crack of Thunder Flash of Lightning

**Crack of Thunder Flash of Lightening**

 **Summary: Harry is afraid of the thunderstorms, has been since he was a child. Now that he lives with Sirius, he has someone he can go to for comfort.**

The thunder rumbled harshly outside, and the lightning flash across the darken horizon. In the small town of Hatfield, there was house in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a wooded forest and grassy fields. In the house, there were three people, two men and a teenager. In the teenager's room, the said teen was found in bed, as he that was where he was supposed to be at fifteen minutes till midnight.

But unlike the other two occupants of the house, the teenager wasn't asleep.

Harry drew his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. He was trembling from head to toe.

He had never liked thunderstorms, hadn't since he was a child. In the cupboard under the stairs, the sound seemed to be louder and it rattled the cupboard, making it feel like the house was going to tumble right on top on of him. From his cupboard, he could hear Dudley's screams and Petunia's soothing voice telling it was okay and if he wanted to sleep with Mummy and Daddy.

The only comfort Harry got was a bang on the door to keep quiet. This, of course, didn't help any.

When he moved to his bedroom upstairs, the fear of thunderstorms came with him. He would hide under the blankets and duvets until the storm passed. He wouldn't sleep much on the nights when it stormed.

He never told anyone of his fear, not even Ron or Hermione. There was one time in the last year that a thunderstorm had hit during a Quidditch match, but Harry was able to drown it out with the sound of the crowd and the game that was going on. Of course, the outcome of the game wasn't what anyone in Gryffindor wanted and they didn't blame Harry for it, but rather the Dementors.

Any of the books Harry had read had said that a fear of thunder was merely a childish phase that most children go through. Well, age had only served to increase Harry's fear of thunderstorms.

One time in second year, he had yelped loudly after a particularly loud crack of thunder. Ron had asked him if he was alright and as steadily as he could, he told Ron he was fine.

He had thought after the Quidditch match in the rain, he wouldn't be terrified of thunderstorms any more. The one that followed a week later, gave Harry his answer. It was a big fat no!

Harry had huddled under the covers, muffling any noise with his pillow. What he didn't realize was that Ron had come to the realization that Harry had a thing about thunderstorms. So it was to Harry's surprise that Ron climbed in bed beside him.

They never talked about it and Ron was up before the others. Dean, Seamus, and Neville were none the wiser.

Harry didn't mind a simple shower now and then. The fresh, clean smell of the air after a light shower was something that Harry didn't mind when he was forced outside to work when he lived with the Dursleys.

But the moment the sky turned a stormy gray and the clouds grew dark gathering in thick clusters, Harry knew what was coming. He dreaded what came.

A flash of lightning lit up the room and Harry could make out the light dancing on the walls, skeletal shapes of a few shadows before the room plunged was into darkness again.

Harry shut his eyes and braced himself for the rumble of thunder that would follow. It inevitably came a split second later.

Suddenly a bolt of lightning ripped through the sky, spreading veined and web like claws across the darken sky and an earth shattering roar that shook the house. The noise made Harry jump again, whimpering slightly.

Harry couldn't take it anymore. He pushed back the cover, picked up his glasses from the nightstand and raced out of the room. He headed straight for Sirius's room.

He stood frozen in the doorway of Sirius's bedroom.

Sirius was standing beside his bed. It was apparent that he had just gotten up. The only sound in the room was Sirius and Harry's breathing and the slight sound of thunder off in the distance.

"Sirius?" Harry couldn't believe how small and shaky his voice sounded. He felt stupid for coming to Sirius. That was until he was reminded that before Sirius, he never had anyone who cared for him. The last time he had woken Sirius up in the middle of the night was a few weeks ago when he got a stomach ache.

"What's wrong, Pup?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Sirius was woken up by a thunderstorm. Glancing at the clock on his bedside table, he saw that it was half pass midnight. He had heard from a weather forecast that there was a thunderstorm coming through their area.

He listened for sounds in the house. He thought of Harry and wondered how he was doing. He remembered that Harry was scared of loud noises when he was a baby and wondered if he was still the same way now.

He had just turned to get out of bed to go and check on Harry and had barely placed his feet on the floor when the door to his bedroom opened.

Sirius looked up and found Harry standing there. Since Harry had been living with him, the only time Harry came to Sirius in the night when he was sick. But this felt different. Harry wasn't hunched over like he was usually when he was sick.

"Sirius?" Harry whispered.

"What's wrong, Pup?" he replied.

"Can I stay with you?" Harry asked.

The voice sounded like it belonged to someone younger than thirteen, almost fourteen. But Sirius didn't dwell on it. Instead, he summoned Harry's pillow and pulled back the cover on the right side of the bed.

He patted the bed in the place beside him. "Come here, kiddo."

Harry approached to the side of the bed and climbed in beside his godfather.

"Are you okay?" Sirius asked.

Before Harry responded a crack of thunder and a flash of lightning causing him to jump.

"It's okay," Sirius soothed, wrapping an arm around his godson.

"I'm sorry," Harry murmured, after a while.

"You have nothing to worry about," Sirius started rubbing his back in soothing circles. "It's not your fault. Fears are fears."

"But at thirteen?" Harry asked. "I'll be fourteen next week! Am I ever going to overcome this?"

Sirius knew that Harry's fear of thunder and lightning seamed from Harry's childhood. He knew like other things with Harry had overcome, it will take time. "You will."

"I guess so," Harry murmured.

They lay in silence for a while before Harry asked, "Were you afraid of a thunderstorm?"

Sirius thought for a moment. He had been when he was little, but unfortunately he never outgrew it. He never had the comfort of his family. All he had were shouts or reprimands to go to sleep. He suffered alone in silence.

That was until James and Remus. If the full moon occurred on a night with a thunderstorm, James stuck close to Sirius and it was nothing for one of them to climb in bed with him when a thunderstorm hit.

"I was, but I was able to face my fear." He looked down and his grey eyes met green. "And you will too. How did this start?" Sirius asked.

"Back in the cupboard under the stairs," Harry whispered. He admitted that the only person that knew about Harry's fear was Ron and he had slept with Harry few times when a thunderstorm would hit Scotland.

"None of the others know," Harry added. Sirius knew that Harry was referring to his other dorm mates.

A loud crash of thunder met Harry jump, whimpering slightly. He didn't jump when Sirius wrapped his arms around him.

"It's okay, Kiddo," Sirius soothed. "Would telling you a story take your mind off of the weather outside?"

"Maybe," Harry whispered, still shaking slightly.

"Once upon a time, there was a man with messy black hair. His name was James," Sirius began. "One day, James comes to Kings Cross Station to catch the Hogwarts Express for the first time. It was on that train ride, he met four people, one of whom I don't need to mention."

Harry knew Sirius was referring to Peter the rat.

"He met two boys, one was named Sirius, and the other Remus. When I first met your Dad, do you know what he asked me?" Sirius asked.

"No," Harry replied.

"Is your name really Sirius?"

Harry chuckled quietly, knowing Remus was asleep in the room across the hall.

"Other than the two boys," Sirius continued with the story. "He made a beautiful young girl named Lily."

Sirius went on to tell Harry about the adventures he had with James and Sirius and how things changed slightly when finally, after five years, Lily agreed to go out with James to Hogsmeade. Thus began the relationship of James and Lily.

"Once your parents started dating, your Dad would drag your Mum with us on our adventures. Something I'm sure you know about your Mum was she was an amazingly gifted witch and an uncommonly kind woman. She had a knack for seeing things in people that they didn't see themselves."

Sirius paused for a second to think more about Lily to tell Harry.

"Her smile would light up a room, and her eyes," Sirius chuckled. "They would brighten when she got excited about something and darken when she was sad. She would smile and laugh with her eyes, which made her all the more beautiful in your Dad's eyes. He admitted to me once that her eyes were the first things he saw. These emerald gems that shined and it was enough to draw even the foolish boy to her."

Once more Sirius had to pause, but this time, he looked down at Harry.

"Her eyes were one of the features she passed down to you. I look in your eyes and it's almost as if I'm looking at Lily."

"Everyone says I look like Dad, except for the eyes, I have Mum's eyes."

"And unfortunately, your Dad's eyesight," Sirius added.

"What was the other feature I inherited from Mum?" Harry inquired.

"Her kindness and her forgiving heart," Sirius replied. "You much like both of your parents, more than you know."

Harry smiled.

"What to hear another story?" Sirius asked.

"Sure," Harry replied.

Sirius smiled, knowing the story he wanted to tell next.

"After we graduated, your Mum and Dad decided to get married. It was a happy time for them. Until a month later when they received word that your Mum's parents were killed in a car crash. It devastated Lily. Her sister didn't make things easy for her, but Lily had gone to the house before the funeral. Her mother had already boxed some things for Lily that she wanted her to have. They were planning on moving to a smaller house, downsizing. They were looking at a house when they were in the car crash."

Harry was silence, taking in what Sirius was telling him.

"Then a month or so later, we found out that James's parents, your other grandparents, were diagnosed with Dragon Pox. For someone with their advanced age, the healer didn't give James much hope for their recovery. They died within hours of each other. It seemed like they had been dealing with nothing but death since they got married. But do you know what made them happy?"

Harry shook his head.

Sirius smiled. "When they found out they were going to have you."

Harry smiled softly.

"I was there the night you were born. It took twenty hours for you to come into this world. But I wasn't going to miss your birth for the world."

"You were there?" Harry asked.

"I was. I was holding you when your Dad asked me to be your godfather. I nearly dropped you."

"You did?"

"I didn't really drop you. I did fall into the chair behind me. I think Remus got a picture of that.

Remus kept the pictures that he had taken with Lily's camera of me holding you when you were just born. They're around here somewhere. I also have copies of pictures James and Lily sent me while they were in hiding. I also visited you as often as I could."

"Sirius?"

"Yes, Harry."

"Do you think we can look at them sometime?" Harry asked.

"The pictures?" Sirius clarified.

"Yes," Harry replied.

"Sure. We'll see if we can find them tomorrow," Sirius said, deciding they would search for the old pictures tomorrow. They were trying to make the house more homely and pictures, made a home more homely to Sirius.

Harry yawned, suddenly, trying to cover it with his mouth. Sirius smiled as he remembered how Harry had yawned when he was a baby. He still yawned the same.

"Come on, Pup. Let's get some sleep." Harry moved over to sleep closer to his godfather. "Get some sleep, Pup."

"Uh huh." Harry didn't have the energy to say a word. Sirius chuckled lightly.

A loud clash of thunder once again sounded outside. Harry's face scrunched up, but remained asleep as he snuggled up closer to his godfather. Sirius smiled, wrapped his arm around Harry and kissed his raven hair before going to sleep himself.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

The next morning, Remus woke up to find the thunderstorm from the night before was gone and in its place were clear blue skies and birds singing. He smiled as he pushed back the curtains of his window to let in the sunlight. It was he was heading out of his room, he noticed something was wrong.

He went to Harry's room to check on him. When he reached the doorway, he found the room empty. Noticing the time, he wondered where Harry could have gone to. Slightly worried, he decided to go and find Sirius to ask if he knew where Harry was. If he couldn't find Sirius then he would try the mirrors.

When he got to Sirius's bedroom, he pushed open the cracked door. He quietly stepped in the room, about to approach the bed when he stopped dead in his tracks and smiled softly, feeling relieved.

Sirius and Harry were lying close together with Sirius's arms wrapped around Harry. They were sound asleep. Deciding to let them sleep, Remus quietly left the room and pulled the door to a crack as it was when he found it, and headed downstairs, deciding to let them sleep.


	12. Remembering Lily-Mother's Day

**Remembering Lily-Mother's Day**

 **Summary: On Mother's Day, Harry, Sirius, and Remus remember Lily.**

Sirius glanced at the calendar Remus tacked on the wall and with a pang realized what Sunday was. Sunday was Mother's Day.

When he was a boy, he'd make cards for his mother and give her flowers. But when he got older, he did nothing. Although he did send a small present to Euphemia, James's mother, after their third year when she included a care package for him when she sent one to James. She was more like a mother to him when his own mother. He had grieved for them as much as James did when they died. But Harry's birth brought their happiness back, even for a moment, despite the war that was going on outside St. Mungo's walls.

He realized that he would need to make plans on taking Harry to the cemetery on Mother's Day. With another pang, he realized it shouldn't be this way. It should be taking Harry shopping for something for Lily and making her breakfast in bed and giving her a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Not picking flowers at a florist or in a field and taking them to the grave of a mother that Harry barely remembers.

Sirius knew that this day was hard for Harry, but he didn't quite understand it. It was almost as if Halloween was repeating it's self.

The first Mother's Day that followed after Sirius was freed and given custody of Harry came to the forefront of Sirius's mind. He had looked for Harry for about a quarter of an hour when he found him in an empty classroom with his photo album, open to the picture of a glowing Lily holding an less than an hour old Harry.

Sirius could remember seeing Harry shoulders shake in silent sobs. It wasn't until Sirius had sat down beside him that Harry realized he wasn't alone. He could remember how his heart broke at the sight of Harry's tear filled eyes. Without saying a word, Sirius pulled Harry into an embrace, rubbing his back soothingly as Harry sobbed into his shoulder.

When they were back in Sirius and Remus's shared private quarters, a half hour later, Sirius asked Harry what he did in years past to remember Lily.

"For the last four years, you just saw it," Harry had replied. "Before I came here? Nothing. I didn't even how what Mum looked like before Hagrid gave me the photo album."

Remus had overheard that part of the conversation and in the moment was thankful that he sent Hagrid some copies of Lily and James when the half giant asked for pictures.

Harry then told them about the one and only time he had made a card for Petunia. It was no surprise to either Remus or Sirius what her response was.

Sirius made a promise to himself they were going to do something different the following year, but what.

It was Professor McGonagall, who suggested taking Harry to Lily's grave and let him take flowers to lie on the grave.

They took her idea and the following Mother's Day, Sirius took Harry to a store to pick out flowers and then they headed to Godric's Hollow. They had visited the graves the past summer, the first time for Harry, Sirius and Remus. They decided to go as a group for the first visit to their graves. Before they left to go home, Sirius walked Harry over to where James's parents were buried.

"They would have loved you," Sirius said to Harry, softly as his eyes remained on the stone that marked the people he thought of as parent's grave. "Especially your grandmother, she would have had you so spoiled." He poked Harry slightly in the ribs, making the teen jump, and added, "She would also be trying to feed you. I can hear her now, 'Sirius! Are you feeding that boy? He's too thin.'"

Sirius remembered that as it was the first time Harry had laughed that summer that wasn't forced.

When they went for Mother's Day, Sirius brought flowers for Euphemia's grave. They went there after spending some time at Lily's.

"Padfoot," a voice said, bringing Sirius back to reality. Turning around, he found Remus standing at the door. "Are you alright? I've been calling you for two minutes."

"Sorry," Sirius murmured, and got up from the desk, heading to the kitchen. Remus followed him, wondering what was going on.

When they reached the kitchen, Sirius held up the kettle and asked if Remus wanted a cup of tea.

"That would be fine," Remus said, sitting down at the kitchen table. He noticed a few books on the table and recognized them as Harry's Charms and Potions textbook. "Did Harry come down here?"

Sirius turned, noticing the books on the table. "Harry left those there when he was here yesterday. Since Ginny has her OWLs study group on Thursday, Harry comes down here while he waits for her to be done."

The kettle whistled and Sirius poured the tea into two cups and handed one to Remus. Sitting down at the table, Remus asked if he was okay.

"I glanced at the calendar and realized Sunday is Mother's Day," Sirius replied.

"Oh," Remus whispered. "Maybe when we see Harry this evening, we'll talk to him about the plans then."

Sirius nodded his mind off somewhere else. He knew that Mother's Day and Father's Day, for that matter, was hard on Harry. Sirius understood what Harry was feeling. He mourned the parents he never knew. Sirius mourned the Potters, who were more like parents to him than his own. He remembered him and James, searching through the shops at Hogsmeade and the owl order catalogues for something to give Euphemia and Fleamont for Mother's Day and Father's Day respectively.

"When are you going to the cemetery where Hope is buried?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, I'll go after we go to Godric's Hollow."

Sirius smiled softly as he remembered Remus's mother. She was sweet to each of them and had hand knitted jumpers for each of them and matching hats, scarves and gloves. Sirius still had his first set from Hope Lupin.

The portrait hole opened and Harry rushed in, grabbing the books from the table and then to his room for the extra packet of quills. Just as soon as Harry appeared, he left without a word.

"Good to see you too, Prongslet," Remus said, a moment before he and Sirius chuckled.

"Let's go for a walk along the grounds before dinner?" Sirius suggested. "I could use some fresh air."

Remus agreed and they left their quarters, neither of them saying a word.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry stood by the window, looking out on the grounds of Hogwarts. From this window, the only view was the hills off in the distance and the roof of the castle. But Harry wasn't looking at any of that. He was looking up in the sky where the moon was high up and the sky was clear, allowing the stars to shine brightly. It wasn't a full moon. According to his old astronomy book it was a waxing crescent moon. The full moon wasn't due until the next week.

He didn't notice the look of concern on his friends' faces as they noticed his lack of conversation during dinner. Ron and Hermione knew that it would be a rough few days for Harry. Neither of them could imagine what he was going through.

He also didn't notice when the portrait hole opened and Ginny returned from the library where she said she was going to return a book she had checked out for a Charms essay.

Noticing Harry by the window, she smiled sadly and approached her boyfriend.

Harry didn't know she was there until she wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Hey babe," She greeted. "What are you doing?"

"Thinking," Harry replied, softly. Ginny heard him, though.

"What are you thinking about?"

Harry sighed, taking a deep breath. One hand went to Ginny's that were braced against his stomach.

"I know Sirius and Remus told me about Mum, but there are a few things that I often think about. Is she proud of me? I am everything she hoped for or am I lacking something?"

Ginny walked around to face her boyfriend and laid her hand against his cheek. He looked down at her, his green eyes meeting her brown.

"You know she loved you, right?" She asked. Ginny was there when Harry asked to know more about Lily. A few years ago, Hestia Jones came back to England and resumed her friendship with Remus and Sirius. She was able to tell Harry more about Lily than what Remus and Sirius knew. She also repeated what Sirius and Remus told Harry and that was how much Lily loved being a Mum and loved him.

"Yeah, everyone had said that. But what about the other questions, huh?"

Ginny hugged Harry tightly, knowing what was going on in his mind. Mother's Day was Sunday and Harry always questioned things that he didn't know, such as was his mother proud of him or did he disappoint her?

"Maybe you can ask Sirius?" Ginny suggested.

"You know what I wish?" Harry asked, suddenly. "That I had my Mum."

Ginny swallowed back tears as she listened to Harry.

"You know it's hard for me to even walk in the park because everywhere I look there's a mother with her child. Either the child is a baby and she's sitting on a blanket with it or she's teaching it to walk. Holding them high above her head, talking to them in that baby voice no one understands. Or their older, she's pushing them on the swings, encouraging them on the slide or just playing with them. I can't bear to look at them because I can have any of that. My Mum is dead."

Ginny noticed the tears welling up in his eyes and then running down his cheeks. She wiped one away.

"Here I am, sixteen years old and the only thing I want in this world, is my Mum."

Ginny didn't waste any time. She pulled Harry to her and guided him to a nearby armchair. They sat down side by side in the oversized chair and Ginny held her boyfriend as he once more, mourned the fact he didn't have a mother to celebrate mother's day with.

She thought about what Harry had told her, her heart breaking for him. She didn't know Harry felt that way. He had never told her. All she knew was last year when he returned from the trip to Godric's Hollow, he found her outside under their tree. He didn't need to say anything. She held out her arms and he walked into them. He had cried on her shoulder until he didn't have any tears left.

She sent a note to Sirius, telling him that she and Harry were eating in the kitchens. When Sirius saw Harry later, he realized why. Harry's eyes were still slightly red and puffy. Sirius, didn't say anything, just asked if he was okay. Harry nodded his head in reply and then walked over to Sirius and thanked him for taking him.

When he learned that it was Professor McGonagall's idea, Harry had ordered her a small box of her favorite toffee. Sirius had shared this piece of information with Harry, and every Christmas, Birthday and anytime Harry just wanted to say thank you, Minerva found a small box of her favorite toffee. She just smiled and when she passed Harry, whether it was in the Great Hall, the corridors, or the classroom, she would gently squeeze his shoulder as a way of saying 'thank you'.

She had even hugged him a time or two, especially she learned he was alright after the Third Task. The only difference from that hug from the first one was Harry returned it.

Ron and Hermione watched Harry and Ginny from the couch in front of the fire. They had silence watched Harry for an over an hour and had considered going and getting Ginny sooner.

"Do you think he's okay?" Hermione whispered concern evident in her voice.

"He will be," Ron replied.

Ron thought of his relationship with his mother and knew that Harry was slightly jealous of the fact he had a relationship with his mother. Sure, there were times that Molly got on Ron's last nerve, but that didn't mean he and Molly didn't have a good relationship. Of his brothers, he had a closer relationship to both Molly and Arthur, a lot of coming from the fact he was the youngest boy.

But knowing what Harry went through every Mother's Day, he knew he should be lucky that he had a mother.

Later, when the common room was empty with just the four of them, Harry leaned over, whispered something in Ginny's ear, to which she nodded. He kissed her gently and headed up to the dorm.

Ginny, Hermione, and Ron followed. When Ron entered the dorm, he found that Harry already had showered and was in bed.

Without thinking about it, he dug out some parchment, ink and a quill. He looked over at Harry's bed one more time before he began to write.

 _Dear Mum….._

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry, Sirius, and Remus appeared in an alley near the town square with a _Pop!_

Remus turned around to see if Harry was okay. Sometimes apparating made him sick, similarly to how he got carsick on long trips in the car.

"Are you okay, Cub?" Remus asked.

"I'm fine," Harry replied, after a minute. "When will I be able to do that without feeling sick?"

"Someday," Sirius said, hopefully.

They walked in silence towards the road leading to the church, passing the memorial of James, Lily, and baby Harry in the center of the square. The first time they seen it, Sirius couldn't bear to look at it very long. Remus smiled sadly and Harry had stayed quiet, studying the features of his parents.

The sound of church bells greeted them as they approached the kissing gate.

"It was decided as your grandparents were buried here, this was where your parents would go after they died. They had already made the arrangements, all was left to do was to finalize everything and bury them," Remus said, whispering.

Harry nodded, mutely, following Sirius to the double headstone. He approached the side where Lily was buried and laid down the bouquet of lilies on her grave.

"Can I have a minute?" Harry asked, quietly. Remus and Sirius nodded. Sirius took the flowers for Euphemia's grave and went to lay them on her resting place. Remus walked over to the corner where a metal bench was and sat down, knowing they would be here for a while.

After he knew he was alone, Harry said, "Mum? I know that your friends have told me a lot about you, but there are things I still want to know. Have I made you proud? Are you disappointed in me? Am I everything you hoped I could be? I'll never know because you're not here."

What Harry didn't know was Sirius and Remus was able to hear him, despite how quietly he was talking.

"I wish I could have five minutes with you. I know it wouldn't be enough and it's not possible, but I still wish I could have five minutes with you. Maybe then you can answer my questions."

Glancing in the direction he knew Sirius and Remus were, he said, "I'm glad I have Remus and Sirius, but that doesn't mean I don't miss you and Dad."

Harry paused for a second, gathering his thoughts. He had told them about Ginny during one of his last visits and had wondered what his parents would have thought about her. He planned on bringing her here one day, maybe when the war was over.

"I wish you both were here," Harry whispered.

Remus watched from the bench as Harry wiped his eyes. He glanced over at Sirius, who was walking back to James and Lily's grave. He stopped a few spaces down, before continuing to walk to the gray double headstone. He sat down on the ground beside Harry and put an arm around his shoulder.

"Harry," Sirius began. "I know for a fact your Mum would be proud of you. You're smart, kind, loving, and generous. She'll not be the least disappointed in you and you're more than she ever hoped for. I know these things because I know Lily and she would be proud of you. Your Dad too, although he wished you'd continue the marauder's legacy."

"What makes you think I haven't?" Harry asked, a smirk forming on his lips. "Who do you think started 'The Great Prank War of 1996'?"

Sirius's eyes went wide. "That was you?!" He exclaimed. Then he roared with laughter. "Oh, Prongs. He's just like you."

At Harry confused look, Sirius explained, "Your father would play pranks on us when we were being too serious, pun intended, about things. Our birthday was no different. We would get pranked all day long. The reason why we don't do that to you on your birthday is because Prongs passed down his prank skills to you, Prongslet."

"Thanks Sirius," Harry whispered.

Sirius squeezed Harry's shoulder and helped him up from the ground. There was one more thing that Sirius wanted to that day.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Didn't we do this for her birthday?"

"Yes, but I thought we'd do it for Mother's Day too."

There was a slight pause until, "Are you giving Harry Firewhiskey?"

"One shot isn't going to kill him, Remus."

Harry, Remus, and Sirius stood around the table in the kitchen area, a glass in each of their hands.

They had done this for Lily's birthday, a drink and a toast in her memory. Sirius thought why not do again on Mother's Day and include Harry.

"Want to start?" Sirius asked Remus.

"To Lily, we do this in remembrance of you," Remus began.

"A kind woman, a gifted witch," Sirius added,

"And loving mother, to all of us, but most importantly to me," Harry finished.

The glasses clinked and they drank.

"Why do I get the feeling this isn't the first time you've had Firewhiskey?" Remus asked Harry. Usually when one drinks Firewhiskey, it would burn their throat.

"I had my first drink it on my birthday, remember?"

Remus did remember. They had let Harry try it when everyone went home and it was just the three of them. Remus nodded, "I remember."

"Are you staying down here tonight?" Sirius asked, wrapping his arm around Harry.

"Yes, I told Ginny when left this morning that I was staying with you."

"Okay then."

Harry spent the evening playing games with Sirius and Remus. He enjoyed spending time with them and loved any quality time he could get with Sirius. Some of his friends had asked if he was okay with Remus and Sirius being there at school with him. Harry answered, honestly, 'I don't mind it at all.'

Sure, there were times when he was trying to have some alone time with Ginny and Sirius interrupted much to Remus's amusement. But it was moments like this made Harry thankful he had Sirius and Remus with him. They would give him advice, encourage him, help with homework when needed, and take care of him when he got sick.

Ginny was very understanding when Harry would tell her he was spending the night in the Marauder's quarters, the twins had named it. They would meet the following morning in the Great Hall or if Harry returned to the tower early, they would meet in the common room like they had every morning while at school since they started dating.

When the games were over, Harry showered and got ready for bed. He pulled out his communication mirror and talked to Ginny for a while before he went to bed.

"If the weather is pretty tomorrow, could we have a picnic outside under our tree?" Ginny asked, when the conversation was winding down.

"Sure, and if the weather's rainy, we can come down here for lunch, if you want?" Harry suggested, as a backup plan.

"Will Sirius and Remus mind?"

"No, they won't mind, considering we've done it before."

"We have haven't we," Ginny said, smiling.

"Gin, they're going to think we were up to no good while we were in here without them," Harry hissed, whispering.

"We did snog on that couch, you know," she whispered.

"I know, and every broom cupboard from here to the Great Hall."

"Which one was your favorite?" Ginny asked.

"I think the on the second floor, it wasn't too small."

"Mine will have to be the one the third floor."

"That one was a little small, why did you pick that one?"

"Because I can be closer to you," Ginny replied.

"Oh. What about the one near the Defense classroom?"

"We avoid that one because that was where Sirius found us that one day," Ginny reminded him.

"Yeah, forget about that. Sirius took the mickey of me for weeks following that."

Ginny then told Harry about her day and how she had missed him being with her, but understood he had gone to Lily's grave and was spending time with Sirius.

She had spent the day with some of her girlfriends, catching up on the latest gossip around school. Ginny wasn't much of a gossip, but it didn't hurt to know what was going on around school either.

"Ron and Hermione disappeared somewhere after lunch and I didn't see them again until dinner. Ron's hair was messed up, and Hermione looked flushed."

"And you're telling me this why?" Harry asked.

"I figured you would want to know what your best friends were doing."

"They probably went to the broom closet near the library," Harry said. "Don't ask me how know that."

Ginny smiled, knowingly.

"Demi wants to know when Quidditch practice is," she said.

"I think I have one scheduled soon, the finals are coming up."

When Harry yawned five minutes later, Ginny told him that he better get to bed before he fell asleep.

"Good night, Gin."

"Good night, Harry. I love you."

"I love you too."

Harry laid the mirror on his nightstand and got up to head to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He returned and turned down the bed and crawling in.

Glancing over at a picture of him and Lily, Remus had given him, he whispered, "Good night, Mum. I love you."

He laid down and fell asleep. Harry kept the tradition of going to the cemetery on Mother's Day, only the next time when he went, a redheaded woman with brown eyes accompanied Harry and Sirius to the cemetery. Mother's day is a day to honor mothers, but could also be a day to remember mothers whom are no longer on earth, even if you don't remember them, like Harry.

 **AN: I meant to publish this Sunday, but time got away and it wasn't exactly finished. I hope you enjoy reading this fic.**


	13. Remembering James-Father's Day

**Remembering James-Father's Day**

 **Summary: On Father's Day, Harry, Sirius, and Remus remember James. Harry also honors Sirius and Remus as his father figures.**

Sirius was looking through the planner to check on the following week's lesson plans when a date caught his eye. Father's day, it was two weeks away.

Letting his mind go back, Sirius thought back to the Father's Day following his escape to Potter Manor. He and James, like Mother's Day, had gone together and gotten Fleamont a present. It was a book of the greatest potioneers in the twenty century and an assortment of his favorite candy. Fleamont, otherwise known as Monty, loved his present and enjoyed the candy, sharing with Euphemia.

How he missed them both and their son?

James was more than his best friend, but his brother in everything but blood. He mourned his and Lily's death for thirteen years and no more.

It was sad to him that he couldn't bring himself to go to their graves last year and that was because of Harry. Sirius wouldn't have gone if it wasn't for the fact Harry wanted to go. Sirius had promised him he would take him and he never broke a promise. Remus, himself, said that. But then, if there was anything Harry ever mentioned he wanted to have or needed, he got it. Remus didn't have the heart to tell him not to as he knew Sirius, still was, trying to make up the twelve years of Harry's life he missed.

Sirius could think every God out there, that he had Harry. Sirius didn't see Harry as James's replacement, contrary to popular belief. He was just his godson, or more than that. Like a son to him. And he treated Harry as if he was his son. Remus could contest that.

It was Sirius who Harry went to when he needed advice, it was Sirius, whom Harry would call when he needed help getting out a pickle he had gotten himself into, it was Sirius who would come running when Harry would call for him, no matter what was the matter, it was Sirius who Harry wanted when he didn't feel well (and now sometimes Ginny as well) and it was Sirius who would sit up with Harry on the nights he couldn't sleep.

Sirius's mind wandered to the Father's Day following the summer after he was given custody of Harry. The day had started out as usual, until he went to breakfast. During the morning post, Hedwig landed in front Sirius, offering the package she was carrying.

"Is that for me?" he asked the owl.

She looked at him as if to say _"Yes, you blithering idiot, who else would I bring a package to?"_

Sirius took the package before Hedwig could nip his fingers and watched as she flew off towards Harry, who offered her a piece of bacon and watched Sirius nervously.

Figuring out that Harry sent him the package, Sirius tore it open to find that Harry had ordered him his own set of _The Lord of the Rings_ books. He had enjoyed the books when he read them when he was younger and this was the collector's edition, which made Sirius love it all the more.

He was even more surprised when he saw the letter that Harry had included with the present. It had confirmed to Sirius that Harry didn't see him as James's replacement, something that he had wondered at one time or another. Instead, Harry saw Sirius as a father figure and the closest thing to a father he had.

When he looked up from the letter, tears in his eyes, he saw that Harry was watching him closely. Not caring that he was in the Great Hall, he walked over to the Gryffindor table and met Harry half way when he embraced him in a tight and loving hug. He pressed a kiss, discreetly on the top of Harry's head.

"Thank you for my present," he had said.

Harry replied, softly, "You're welcome."

Sirius had admitted to Harry later that he wasn't expecting anything and was even more surprised when Remus told him that he had received a small present from Harry as well. Remus was given a collection of books by Robert Lewis Stevenson.

Harry had explained to Remus that he didn't want him to feel left out. Remus didn't say much, but had embraced Harry in a tight hug, thanking him for his gift.

"Sirius?"

The voice brought Sirius back to the present and he realized that Remus had been talking to him.

"Sorry Remus, you were saying?" Sirius asked.

"I said are you taking Harry to the cemetery for Father's Day?" Remus inquired.

"I haven't asked him yet," Sirius admitted. "I will when he stops by this afternoon."

Remus nodded mutely and headed to the classroom where he was preparing for the third year lesson on Red Caps. He had noticed that Sirius was thinking way off again. He knew he was thinking of Father's Day and how it had affected Harry.

They all knew how it affected Harry. Knowing how Harry had handled Mother's Day, Sirius was curious if he did the same thing for Father's Day. He did.

Sirius had found him in the same empty classroom as he had on Mother's Day, this time there was no album. Just Harry, sitting by the window, tears running down his face. The only difference was that Harry had given Sirius a present, which was a copy of some pictures of himself and Harry, framed and ready to be displayed in his bedroom.

But Harry still grieved the fact he didn't have his father with him on Father's Day. But Harry soon realized while he didn't have his father, he had his godfather.

Sirius did the same thing he did on Mother's Day. He approached Harry and pulled him into a loving embrace.

The following year, he took Harry to the cemetery. He made a promise that they would go and visit their graves more often.

"Sirius," Remus called from the doorway. "Class is about to begin."

"I'm coming," He called back.

Father's Day went to the back of his mind, deciding to ask Harry about it later.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ginny entered the sixth year boys' dorm, only to be met with a catalogue thrown towards her head. She bent down to pick up and walked over to Harry's bed. He was lying on his back, his hands over his eyes and his glasses pushed up to his forehead.

"Why does this have to be hard?" Harry groaned.

"What's hard?" Ginny asked.

Her sudden question made Harry jump and he pushed himself up on his elbows, upon seeing Ginny.

"Finding something for Sirius for Father's Day," he answered. "I've been looking for something for weeks and I have nothing. Father's Day is two weeks away and I'm afraid I won't have anything to give Sirius. I've given him something for the last two years and how do you think it would look if I didn't get him anything?"

Harry flopped back on his bed, his hands running through his hair, nearly pulling it out.

Ginny approached her boyfriend, climbing in bed because him, glad the beds in the dorm after second year was a double bed and laid down beside Harry.

"Wasn't Remus any help?" She asked.

"Where do you think I got the catalogue form that I just chucked across the room," Harry muttered.

"You mean the one that nearly hit me when I came in."

"Sorry about that," Harry whispered. He turned to lie on his stomach, wrapping his arms around his pillow. Ginny recognized this as a cue that Harry was feeling very stressed. It was among one of his tell tale signs.

"Baby," Ginny whispered. "You know Sirius would like anything you got him." She reached up and started rubbing the back of Harry's neck.

"I feel guilty," Harry admitted. "It's like I've replaced Dad with Sirius."

"I didn't know you felt that way," Ginny said, softly, moving her hand up to Harry's hair and run her fingers through his hair.

"I never really voiced it out loud." Harry shrugged.

Ginny knew how Harry felt about Father's Day. Last year came to the forefront of her mind. She came downstairs to find Harry sitting in an armchair, his knees pulled up to his chest and his chin resting on his knee. He didn't realize she was there until she wrapped an arm around him. She didn't need to ask what was wrong. She knew. She knew when she saw the calendar that morning that this was another hard day for Harry. Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Halloween were all hard days. A day in January and another in March were also days of pretending to be fine, but crying in private or in her arms away from their house mates in an empty classroom on the seventh floor.

She wasn't surprised at all when Harry laid his head against her shoulder and he began to shake with silent sobs. He had told her when he calmed down enough to talk that he had just gotten back from the cemetery. That had explained why Harry was upset. He had wanted a moment with Ginny before he joined Sirius and Remus in their quarters for dinner.

When she saw him the next morning at breakfast, the smile at returned to his face and he seemed to have returned to his usual happy self.

"There is a Hogsmeade visit this weekend," Ginny reminded him. "I'll help you find something for Sirius if you help me find something for Dad."

"What about a model airplane or a rubber duck?" Harry asked.

Ginny looked at her boyfriend for a second, confused, before realization dawned her and they both cracked up, laughter filling the dorm room.

"Okay," Ginny agreed, still chuckling.

"Thanks, Gin," Harry whispered, pushing himself up and kissing Ginny's cheek.

"You're welcome."

They laid there in silence until Harry's stomach growled loudly, making Ginny chuckle.

"Ready to go to dinner?" Ginny asked. "Sounds like your hungry."

Harry got up and helped Ginny up and together they headed down to the common room and left Gryffindor tower. Harry hoped that when he returned from visiting Remus and Sirius that he would have an idea of what to get Sirius for Father's Day.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Sirius yawned as he entered the Great Hall Saturday morning. It was a Hogsmeade weekend and those who were going to the village were in the Great Hall eating breakfast and discussing their plans for the day. Sitting down at the head table, he immediately scanned the Gryffindor table for a mop of messy black hair. He didn't find it at all.

He would have panicked if it wasn't for the fact he had glanced down at his watch and seen what time it was. Harry never was up early on Saturday, preferring to sleep in.

"Good morning, Minerva," he greeted when the Transfiguration professor sat down beside him.

"Good morning, Sirius," she returned. It had taken Professor McGonagall over a year to call Sirius by his first name and not by his surname. She now called him Sirius.

He made small talk with the professor, lightly inquiring about Harry and how he was doing in her class. He knew he didn't have anything to worry about as Harry had some of the top grades in almost all of his classes, especially Defense, and the reason why spoke for its self. When they did any of the practical work, Harry quite literally wiped the floor with his opponent, regardless if he happened to be paired with Ron and Hermione, who took it all in stride.

In a duel, Harry was a force to be reckoned with and Sirius couldn't have been more proud. Remus had been the one to say how much he wished that James and Lily were here. That was a wish that everyone had, especially Harry.

Breakfast had been served for half an hour when Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny entered the Great Hall. They usually didn't come in the Great Hall in a group, but when they did it often made Sirius wonder if they were up to something. Harry was tight lipped about some of the activities he and Ginny got up to and had assured Sirius that he and Ginny hadn't taken _that_ step _yet._

Sirius watched in amusement as Harry and Ginny fixed their own breakfast, often handing something to the other before they had asked. Sirius couldn't hear what was being said, all he saw was Harry's lips moving. He had said that Harry and Ginny often behaved as if they were a married couple. They were already communicating as if they were a married couple, without words, just looks alone. 

When breakfast finished Harry approached the head table and to collect his money from Sirius.

"Hello my favorite godson," Sirius greeted.

"I thought I was your only godson," Harry said, confused.

"You are which means you're my favorite." Sirius smiled and reached into the pocket of his shirt and pulled out the money pouch. "I assume you want this?" Sirius asked, handing to Harry.

"Thanks, Sirius."

"I included a little extra to treat Ginny to lunch and maybe buy her something pretty. Have fun and try not to go overboard with the sweets. I would like you to have one Hogsmeade visit that doesn't end with a stomach ache."

"Thanks, Sirius. Can I bring you back anything?" Harry asked. Since Sirius and Remus came into his life, every Hogsmeade visit Harry would get something for Sirius and/or Remus. Usually it was candy from Honeydukes and other times it was something from Zonko's Joke Shop.

"Our usual from Honeydukes," Sirius said.

"Harry, time to go," Ginny called from the door.

"I gotta go," Harry said. "I'll see you later."

When Harry left Remus leaned over and whispered. "You know you were wasting your breath when you told Harry to take it easy on the sweets right and that isn't the main cause of Harry's post Hogsmeade visits stomach aches."

"I do, thought I tell him that so he's not too sick for later."

"Come on, let's go to the office and finish our grading. When we're done, we'll go to the Three Broomsticks for lunch and a Butterbeer."

"No Firewhiskey?" Sirius inquired, pouting.

"Not today, maybe we'll go one day when the village isn't crowded with students," Remus assured him.

"Okay," Sirius agreed.

They left the Great Hall, pausing at the door to watch Harry and Ginny walk down to the village hand in hand.

"It's good to see Harry happy isn't it?" Remus asked.

Sirius nodded and said, "Yes, it is."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry was about to pull his hair out. He had looked at the bookstore Tomes and Scrolls for a book that Sirius might like. He had looked in Zonko's and had no luck there. Harry had thought that he would find something that Sirius would like and nothing. He found nothing! He was about to scream in frustration. What was he going to do if he didn't have anything? He didn't want to think about that. He wasn't about to give up.

"What about a joke book?' Ginny suggested.

Harry paused, his mind going back to a conversation he had overheard between Sirius and Remus. They didn't know that Harry was listening to their conversation.

" _I wish we can find that book," Sirius said._

" _James had the book, Sirius. We've looked through the house and then the vault and we couldn't find it. I guess it's lost forever."_

" _1000 Pranks for the Practical Pranker was the book where we got all of our pranks from. It's important that we find it, at least a new copy."_

Harry smiled and grabbed Ginny, kissing her soundly on the lips. "Thanks, Gin." He left a very confused Ginny as he approached the counter.

"Excuse me, ma'am, I was wondering if you would happen to have a prank book."

The Zonko's employee was helpful in finding the book that Harry had asked for, as they had the book. It was on a high shelf which was why Harry didn't find it when he looked the first time.

"Thank you," he said to the girl and went off to find Ginny. She smiled when he showed he the book and followed him to the till to pay for it. Harry left the joke shop in high spirits and took Ginny to Honeydukes where they sampled a few of the new candy and chocolate covered marshmallows, and had purchased some candy, both themselves and Harry had bought some for Sirius and Remus.

They had left the sweet shop when Harry pulled Ginny close to him.

"Can we go back to the book store?" he asked.

"Whatever for?" Ginny inquired.

"Because I forget to get something for Remus."

Ginny sighed and nodded, following Harry to the book store. This time Harry knew what he was looking for. Remus loved anything to do with Defense and History of Magic. Harry had come across a book in the Tombs and Scrolls catalogue and had it with him in his pocket. He pulled it out and asked the lady at the counter if they happen to have a copy of _Twenty Thousand Legends in the Magical World._ According to the description, it was filled with many different legends and myths in the magical world that Remus thought it would be interesting.

Luckily for Harry, they had it. He bought the book and followed Ginny to the Muggle store where he helped her find an airplane model for Arthur and a book about airplanes. Since there was also Muggle books at the Muggle store, Harry was able to find Twenty _Thousand Leagues under the Sea_ for Remus and _The Hobbit_ for Sirius.

Harry owned _The Hobbit_ himself, but wanted Sirius to have his own copy. 

Feeling better about having something for Sirius and Remus, Harry returned to the castle later that day after a lunch with Ginny and more shopping, in high spirits. He was now planning on how to go about giving them to Sirius and Remus.

But the thoughts of the father he never knew were not far from his mind.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Sirius woke up when he felt a dip in the bed. Smiling to himself, he laid still until he was sure Harry was over top of him. Then suddenly, now fully awake, he grabbed a hold of Harry and turned him over, to where they were now reversed with Harry laying under Sirius. If someone had walked in the room in that moment, it would have been hard to explain. But the only person who would come in would be Remus and he's seen this happen more times at home.

"Are you here to wake me up?" Sirius asked.

"Of course, isn't that what a kid does on Father's Day?" Harry inquired. Ron and Ginny had told him about Father's Day at the Burrow. They would do a dog pile on the bed to wake up Arthur, with Bill on the bottom and Ginny on the top. Since hearing about that, Harry wanted to try something similar to that with Sirius, but as usual Sirius had outsmarted him.

"Um, Sirius, can you get up?" Harry asked.

"Why? I'm comfortable," Sirius replied, laying his head on the pillow next to Harry's.

"You're also squashing me," Harry said.

Sirius got up and climbed out of bed on the opposite side. Harry remained in the bed, pretending to be relieved that Sirius had gotten up off of him. Suddenly, Harry found himself being pulled up and thrown over Sirius's shoulder.

"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed with a startled yelp.

"Prongslet, what are we feeding you? You're heavy," Sirius stated.

He walked into the sitting room and the kitchen area where Remus was waiting for them. He chuckled at Harry and Sirius, calling to them, "Don't hurt your back Sirius."

Sirius sat Harry down with his feet on the floor. Harry rearranged his shirt as it had ridden up when Sirius threw him over his shoulder.

"Was that necessary?" Harry asked.

Sirius just chuckled. They cleaned up and headed to the table, where Harry had breakfast waiting.

"Was this why you came and woke me up?" Sirius asked, noticing his favorites on the table.

"Yeah, Dobby helped so I can't take credit for all of it."

They sat down to the breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, and scones. Harry had made the scones and told Sirius there was more in the basket on the counter. Remus took the first bite out of his scone and sighed happily.

"You need to give Dora the recipe," he said.

"She has it," Harry replied, before popping a piece of sausage in his mouth.

They made small talk over breakfast, not really much, just catching up with each other on what's going on in their life. Harry asked Sirius when they were going to the cemetery and it was decided that they would go after lunch, giving Harry plenty time to spend with both Sirius and a little bit of time with Ginny.

"Are we still going to the Great Hall?" Remus asked.

"We are," Sirius confirmed. "It's almost time for the post and I figured you would want to be there and see if there is a letter from Dora."

Harry stifled the laughter that was building when he seen Remus's face. He and Tonks had been seeing each other since the previous summer and Harry was guessing they might get married this summer, if Remus would allow it.

"Harry, this is good," Sirius said, as he ate his scone and put some jam on it. "Very good."

Harry had learned to make scones when he was bored one day. Sirius had allowed him to use the stove and the oven at home whenever he wanted to and Harry was proven to be an excellent cook at his age. His scones were Sirius's favorite and he made a batch for Ginny alone a few times.

"They melt in my mouth," She had said the first time she had Harry's scones. Even Molly was impressed and asked Harry what he did differently to his.

Ron and Hermione were more than stunned at Harry's baking ability, especially when he showed up in the common room one night in their fifth year with hot chocolate and his chocolate chip scones. He had brought enough for the four of them and Neville as they were staying up to study for OWLs, while the other Gryffindor fifth years were in bed.

Ginny came over to the group and without saying a word, Harry picked up a scone and handed it to Ginny, his eyes never leaving the page he was reading in his Charms book. She kissed his head and sat down in a nearby armchair, sighing as she took her first bite.

Harry finished his breakfast and took his plate to the sink. Dobby told him he would clean up to help Harry and he couldn't refuse.

"I'll be back," He said to Sirius and Remus and headed to his bedroom. On the bed were two bags, one held Sirius's present, the other Remus's. Harry picked up Sirius's in one hand and Remus's with other and headed into the sitting room.

He hoped that they would like their gifts.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

When Harry returned to the kitchen, Sirius and Remus were talking quietly. They paused when Harry sat down their respective bags.

"What is this?" Remus asked. He wasn't expecting anything from Harry for Father's Day.

"A little Father's Day gift," Harry replied.

"You didn't have to get me anything," Sirius said, picking up the bag. He sat it down in his lap and pulled out the paper. He paused when he seen _1000 Pranks for the Practical Pranker_. He didn't miss Remus's gasp when he pulled out the book and sat it down on the table to look at it.

"Harry this," Sirius paused, choked up. He thought the book was lost forever and now here was, back in his hands again.

He looked down in the bag and pulled out his own copy of _The Hobbit._ Sirius was so speechless that he didn't know what to say to the present. He had wanted _The Hobbit_ and hoped he would find the prank book and now here they were in his possession.

Sirius reached down in the bottom of the bag and noticed a piece of parchment paper. He pulled it out, noticing it was a note.

 _Happy Father's Day, Sirius_

 _I hope you enjoy you present. Just don't use any of the pranks on me (I've had it for a few weeks and have copied some of the pranks, word of warning). Thank you to being a father figure to me. I know you don't want to take Dad's place and I understand that. Really I do._

 _Thank you to the many times you've stayed up with me either when I couldn't sleep, or had a nightmare and couldn't sleep, or when I was sick. Thanks for taking care of me, I know I'm not the easiest patient when I'm sick, but I'm glad I have you to take care of me. Thanks for being a listening ear when I need to vent or ask for advice. I know I can come to you about anything and you won't ask too many questions._

 _I don't think I could ever thank you enough for everything you've done for me._

 _I love you, Sirius. I know I don't say it often, but I do. You still mean the world to me._

 _Love,_

 _Prongslet_

Sirius wiped his eyes and looked up, noticing Harry was watching him closely. He got up and pulled Harry to him and engulfed him in a tight hug that would have rivaled Molly Weasley's. He pressed a kiss to Harry's head.

"Thank you," He whispered.

"For what?" Harry replied.

"The gift for one and being my reason to keep going," Sirius said.

Harry didn't need to know what that might and hugged Sirius all the more.

"Happy Father's Day, Sirius."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry and Sirius appeared in the alley near the church with a loud cracking sound, announcing their arrival

Sirius steadied Harry asking him quietly if he was okay. Harry nodded in response and followed Sirius towards the sound of church bells ringing. The path was well known by now, and Sirius was sure he could do it with his eyes closed. They walked in silence towards the church and the cemetery.

There were no flowers as James wasn't a fan of flowers, only got them for Lily. Instead, Sirius had conjured a wreath to place on James's grave instead.

As they entered the kissing gate, Sirius let Harry take the lead, following him down the headstone lined path to James's and Lily's grave. When they reached the double headstone, Harry reached down and dusted away dead leaves and grass.

"Do you want a minute?" Sirius asked. Harry nodded. "Okay."

Sirius backed away and approached Fleamont's grave beside Euphemia.

"Dad?" Harry said, quietly once he knew he was alone. "Do you feel that I've replaced you with Sirius? Because I feel like I have. I'm not trying to replace you, Dad. Rather Sirius had filled the role of a father figure to me. You're still Dad even if you're not here." Harry paused for a second before continuing.

"Are you proud of me? Am I everything you hoped for?" Pausing again, Harry glance back at Sirius. "I wish you were here, Dad," Harry whispered. "You and Mum."

Sirius watched from a distance, but close enough to get to him in case of an emergency. He walked up to Harry and sat down beside him.

"You know your parents would be proud of you. They loved you very much and I think you've surpassed any expectation they might have had," Sirius said.

"Really?" Harry asked.

"Really."

"Thanks," Harry whispered.

They stayed for a little while, until the church bells rang again and Sirius realized the time.

"We better go," Sirius said, softly. Harry nodded, getting up.

"I love you," Harry whispered, leaving the wreath on James's grave. "I love you both."

Harry followed Sirius to the kissing gate and then to the alley behind the church where they disapparated back to Hogwarts.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Sirius lifted up his glass of Firewhiskey and said, "To James."

"A brother and friend," Remus added.

"And loving father. We do this in memory of you, Dad," Harry finished.

They all took a drink of their Firewhiskey in James's memory.

"If Lily was here, she'd have our hide for giving him Firewhiskey," Remus said to Sirius.

"A half glass isn't going to kill him, Remus," Sirius retorted.

He approached Harry and said, "Thank you for the gift."

"Yes, Harry, thank you for the books."

Harry smiled, relieved that they liked what Harry had gotten them. "I'm glad you like them."

"Are you staying down here tonight?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, I am," Harry replied.

Sirius smiled and hugged Harry close to him. "Good, then I can…."

"Sirius," Harry said, cutting him off. "Remember what I said."

Sirius pouted when he remembered that Harry had asked for him not to use any of the pranks in the book he had given him on Harry. But Harry's threat of a Prank War was too great. Sirius decided to give it a few days and he'd test a prank from the book, either on Harry, despite the warning, or Remus.

They talked up into the night until Harry started yawning and Sirius decided it was time for bed. Harry went to his bedroom and was asleep in a matter of minutes. When Sirius when to check on him a little while later, he smiled at the sight of his sleeping godson. Harry looked younger than his sixteen years when he was asleep and peaceful. Not wanting to disturb him, Sirius reached over, tucking the blanket around Harry and pressing a kiss to the side of his head.

"Good night, Prongslet," he whispered. "I love you."

When Sirius was gone, Harry opened his eyes, realizing he had forgotten something. He picked up the framed photo of his parents and whispered.

"Good night, Dad. I love you and Happy Father's Day."

 **AN: Sorry for the late posting. I had hit a bout of writer's block in the middle of writing this.**

 **I posted this in HLWP, I'm posting it here. I'm skipping the whole Department of Mysteries scenario. I will have the part where Harry has the vision, but with a different outcome. Though I'd throw that out there before someone asks if I'm going to do the Battle of DOM and here is your answer.**

 **I just can't bring myself to write about it. Hope everyone understands.**


	14. After the Goblet of Fire

**After the Goblet of Fire**

 **Summary: What happened after Harry's name came out of the Goblet of Fire.**

 **AN: Contains information from the book and the movie.**

Sirius never heard the Great Hall so quiet when it was full of students. Feasts, especially, the Halloween feast was the loudest of them of all. But this one was different. The world was spinning around him. He felt like the floor had been flown out from under his feet. He hoped to Merlin he was dreaming.

Did Harry's name just come out of the Goblet of Fire? Did Dumbledore just announce that his godson was a fourth champion?

He watched helplessly as Harry followed the other champions to the trophy room. Sirius glanced at Professor McGonagall before he bolted to the room that Harry had just entered.

Viktor Krum, Cedric Diggory, and Fleur Delacour were grouped around the fire in the trophy room. They looked impressive, silhouetted against the flames. Krum was leaning against the mantelpiece, slightly apart from Cedric and Fleur. Cedric, meanwhile, was standing with his hands behind his back, staring into the fire. Fleur looked around when Harry walked in and threw back her silvery long hair.

Sirius heard her ask Harry, "What is it? Do they want us back in the hall?"

Sirius noticed that Harry didn't know how to explain what had just happened. He didn't think that Harry could explain. Sirius watched his godson from a distance. He just stood there, looking at the three champions. The difference between Harry's height and the others were very different. Harry could be easily hidden.

Footsteps behind him brought Sirius's attention to the others with Ludo Bagman in the lead. Before Ludo Bagman could reach him, Sirius reached Harry first and pulled him closer to him.

"Gentlemen and lady," Bagman addressed the other three and approaching the fireside. "May I introduce the fourth Triwizard champion?!"

Immediately Viktor Krum straightened up, his face darkening as he surveyed Harry. In the shadow Harry had backed up against Sirius. He felt Sirius's hand tightening on his shoulder. Fleur smiled and tossed her hair back.

"Is this a joke Mr. Bagman?" She asked.

"A joke?" Bagman repeated. He was bewildered. "No, not at all! Harry's name just came out of the Goblet of Fire!"

Fleur frowned, Cedric looked bewildered, and Viktor's eyebrows contracted slightly.

"But this has to be a mistake!" Fleur exclaimed. "He cannot compete. He is too young."

Harry leaned back against Sirius, wishing that this was a dream.

Bagman started rattling off information regarding the age restriction. Sirius felt his blood boil when he realized that Harry would have to compete in this competition.

"I didn't put my name in the cup, Sirius," Harry whispered.

Sirius squeezed Harry's shoulders gently. "I believe you."

The door that they had come in the trophy room opened again and a large group of people entered. Professor Dumbledore entered first, followed closely by Barty Crouch, Igor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape. Harry heard the buzzing of other students until Professor McGonagall closed the door behind her.

Fleur strode over to her headmistress. "Madame Maxime! They are saying that this little boy is complete!"

Harry and Sirius both stared at her, Sirius tightened his grip on Harry's shoulder. Little boy? If Sirius's blood wasn't boiling, it was now.

Madame Maxime drew herself up to her full height, making Harry back up further into Sirius.

"What is the meaning of this, Dumbledore?" she asked, imperiously.

"I'd rather like to know that myself, Dumbledore," Karkaroff. He was smiling steely and his eyes were like ice, staring daggers at Harry and then turning back to Dumbledore. "Two Hogwarts champions?! I don't remember anyone telling me that the host school is allowed two champions. Did I not read the rules carefully?"

"This is impossible!" Madame Maxime exclaimed, her large hand resting on Fleur's shoulder. "Hogwarts can't have two champions."

An argument broke out over the Age Line, which Harry tried to drown out, but he was too frightened to say anything.

Harry didn't catch what Professor Snape said, but Sirius had brought him back to the present when he said something, coming to Harry's defense.

"Thank you, Severus," Dumbledore said firmly. He turned his attention to Harry, who was looking right back at him. "Did you put your name into the Goblet of Fire, Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "No, sir."

"Ask an older student to do it for you?"

"No, sir," Harry repeated.

"He is lying!" Madam Maxime cried.

"My godson is not a liar!" Sirius shouted.

Another discussion over the Age Line broke out, this time it was calmer.

"Mr. Crouch. Mr. Bagman," Karkaroff stated. "You are our judges. Surely you will agree that this is most irregular?"

Bagman glanced at Barty. "Barty, you know the rule book better than I do."

Barty turned to the group and said, "We must follow the rules, which are stated clearly that those people who come out of the Goblet of Fire are bound to compete in the tournament."

"So, you're saying that Harry has no choice, but to compete?" Sirius asked.

Barty glanced at Bagman, hoping he'd take over. But the man just nodded to him, motioning to him to tell the shaggy headed man that his godson would have to compete in the tournament.

"Yes, Mr. Black. Mr. Potter has no choice. He is, after tonight, a Tri-Wizard champion."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

In the confines of his personal quarters, Sirius stared into the fire. He could still hear Moody's words ringing in his head.

" _Someone put Potter's name in that goblet knowing he'd have to compete if it came out. Maybe someone's hoping Potter is going to die for it."_

Moody went on to explain that someone had hoodwinked, the Goblet of Fire, a very powerful magical object. It was bamboozled by a Confundus charm, making the Goblet think there were four schools, instead of three, compete in the competition. Then whoever hoodwinked the Goblet of Fire, also submitted Potter's name under the fourth school, to make sure he was the only one in his category.

If it wasn't for the fact the contract was a magical binding, Sirius would have pulled Harry from Hogwarts. But he didn't have a choice.

He listened to the instructions regarding the first task, knowing that Harry's head must be spinning.

"Sirius?" a voice called from the floo.

Sirius shook his head and looked into the fire. Remus's head was in the flames.

"I'm going to step through," he warned. In a minute, Remus stepped through and immediately sat down beside Sirius.

"Where's Harry?" Remus asked.

"In his dorm," Sirius replied. "He's going to come down here, if things aren't smooth."

Remus nodded, hoping that Harry would be okay.

"What are we going to do?" Remus inquired.

"I don't know. Professors can't help the champions, but Dumbledore did say that it didn't mention parents."

Remus thought over the information, realizing what Sirius had said. They could help Harry, quietly. But the fact that Harry's name came out of the goblet was more concerning.

"I'm going to make us some tea," Remus said, breaking the silence that ascended on the room.

"Put some Firewhiskey in it," Sirius requested, scrubbing his hands over his face.

Remus chuckled. It was going to be a long year for all of them.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

If Harry was surprised to see Ron and Hermione in the fourth year boys' dorm, he didn't show it.

"Please tell me that you two believe me when I say that I didn't put my name in that cup?" Harry begged.

"We do," Hermione answered. Ron nodded beside her.

"Really?" Harry asked, relieved and shocked.

"I would admit that I was jealous at first," Ron admitted. "But then I realized that if you did, you would have talked to me about it and then look at what happened to Fred and George."

The memory of Fred and George with beards and gray hair flashed in their heads. Harry and Ron smirked before they roared with laughter.

"So, you both, believe me?" Harry asked, one more time.

"Yes!" Ron and Hermione said in unison.

Harry released the breath he had been holding. His best friends believed him. Why did he doubt them?

He walked over to the window, sitting down in the small dormer. He was small enough to still fit in here, barely.

Ron and Hermione crawled in beside him, wrapping an arm around him.

Without prompting Harry began to tell them what Moody said, pausing to give them a chance to ingest everything. They sat in silence once Harry finished, letting the information sank in.

Ron knew that Harry had said that he didn't want to enter his name in the Goblet of Fire. He didn't need any more things to make himself in the spotlight. Ron knew that Harry hated the fame that came with his name. He had even admitted to Ron that he would trade everything if he could have his parents back once.

But he hadn't mentioned it since Sirius came into Harry's life.

"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked.

"Truthfully?" Hermione nodded. "I'm scared."

Ron hid his surprise, by squeezing Harry's shoulder.

"It will be okay, Harry," Hermione whispered.

The only thing wrong with that sentence, no one knew the events that would follow.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Harry, come on wake up," Ron said, shaking Harry's shoulder. "We're going to miss breakfast."

"I'm not going. I'm staying right here." Harry's voice was muffled from where it was hidden under the blanket.

"Harry, come on, it's not going to be that bad," Ron assured him, hoping that would get Harry to move.

Harry didn't budge.

"Fine, but you made me do it," he said. He pulled the blanket off of Harry and then wrapped both arms around Harry's waist. The advantage Ron had was Harry was twenty pounds lighter than him and he used all his strength to get Harry out of bed and into the bathroom.

"Ron!" Harry yelped as he was pushed into a cold shower.

"Shower, shirt, shoes, and let's shove off," Ron called as he walked out to the dorm and collected a change of clothes for himself and Harry.

Grumbling Harry slipped off his now soggy pajamas and boxers, tossing them over the rail with the shower curtain and turned the water to warm. Despite the fact he wanted to stay in bed and hide all day, he knew he couldn't. Sirius would find him and drag him out of bed. The only way he would get away with it was if he was sick.

"Harry, are you trying to drown yourself?" Ron called from the next stall.

"No," Harry groaned.

"It will be okay, mate," Ron said, hoping he sounded assuring to his best friend. He knew that Harry would have a rough couple of days. He and Hermione had gotten a glance at some of the other houses' reactions to the news that Harry's name came out of the goblet of fire and some of them didn't look happy.

Harry didn't ask for this, nothing of it.

Harry finished up with the shower and headed to the dorm to get dressed. He had just slipped his shirt on when Neville picked in the dorm.

"Hey Harry," he greeted.

"Hey Neville," Harry returned, getting out his hoodie from the drawer and pulling it over his head.

"Just so you know," Neville began, making Harry pause. "I believe you."

"Thanks, Neville." ' _Well, that makes three people who believe me_ ,' he thought. 

Ron stepped out of the bathroom and dressed in the clothes he had laid out. He glanced over at Harry as he slipped on his socks and trainers.

"Are you okay mate?" He asked.

Even thought Harry didn't know the true answer to that question, he nodded.

Despite the brave face Harry put on, Ron saw through it and seen the fear in Harry's eyes. He knew if there was a moment that Harry needed his friend's support, this was the time he needed it most.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

A week had passed since Harry's name came out the goblet of fire. By this point, Harry had been shunned by almost the entire school. Only his housemates and a few friends he had outside of Gryffindor tower were talking to him. Ron and Neville had been dragging him out of bed every morning.

Only Sirius's birthday did he get out of bed on his own and go on with his day. He wanted to make Sirius's first birthday outside of Azkaban special. But after Sirius's birthday, Harry wanted to find a way to escape for a little bit. It had provided an outlet to get Harry's mind off what was going on outside Sirius's quarters.

If there was one thing Harry was grateful for during this time, it was that Sirius was here at Hogwarts and he could go to him when he needed him. He was filling in for Professor Sinistra who was gone on a star gazing trip and research sabbatical.

The current weather also matched the Harry's mood, gloomy. The rain splattered messily against the smooth, cloudy pane of the window in the sitting room, drowning out the sharp crackles from the small fire that burned in the hearth.

Sirius came into the sitting room from his bedroom where he had been putting up some things Remus had sent him. He should have been better prepared for the cold weather that Scotland was known for. He had sent a letter to Remus, asking him to send him some of his warmer clothes by owl and it had come in that morning.

He found Harry lying on his stomach across the couch. His face was neutral, but Sirius knew that Harry was feeling down about what was going on and the fact he had no choice but to compete in a tournament that he was really too young to compete in.

"Are you ever going to smile again, Prongslet? Am I going to see you smile again? Or are we doomed for a lifetime of depression?" Sirius joked in his very gentle way in hopes of getting a reaction from Harry.

He got nothing.

"Depression for life it is," Sirius murmured.

Sirius was expecting a sarcastic remark or a laugh from Harry, but instead, Harry remained quiet.

He never felt as helpless as he did in that moment. He wished there was something he could do to make Harry smile again.

He sat down on the floor in front of Harry's head, reaching up and pushing the hair back away from Harry's face. Harry had talked Sirius into letting his hair grow out, only giving it a light trim when it became shaggy looking or got in Harry's face too much. The one thing that they had found out in this experiment was that Harry's hair wasn't as messy as it was when it was shorter.

Harry claimed he had brushed his hair, but Sirius wasn't so sure. He knew he washed it because he had seen Harry exit the bathroom with wet hair and it smelled like the shampoo Harry used. The only thing Harry still dealt with was tangles in his hair. Sirius had brought him a sturdier hair brush, among other things which included better shampoo and shower gel

Remus had included a package with Sirius's clothes that held a month's worth of hair care products for Sirius and enough shampoo and shower gel for both Sirius and Harry to last them until Christmas.

"Harry, are you feeling alright?" Sirius asked, feeling his forehead.

"I'm fine, Sirius," Harry replied, softly.

Sirius wondered just how much truth was behind the statement. He wanted to fix this situation and make it better, but the reality was he couldn't.

Ron and Hermione had stopped by earlier to check on Harry. They were worried when he didn't come back to the common room and had come to check with Sirius to see if he had seen Harry. Not even seeing his friends made the smile return to his face.

Sirius was trying to cheer Harry up and return the smile to his face.

He knew one thing that might return the smile to Harry's face. The only question he had was whether or not it would work.

"You know I was wondering something the other day," Sirius began.

"What?" Harry asked, trying to get out of Sirius's grip.

"Whether or not you're still ticklish?"

Harry froze. He knew he was still ticklish. During a game of truth and dare with Ron and Hermione last year, Harry was asked if he was still ticklish. He lied and said no. Ron didn't believe him and attacked him, tickling his neck and his underarms. Hermione attacked his sock clad feet. They figured out Harry's most ticklish spot and started tickling his stomach.

Harry's laughter echoed off the walls of the common room.

"No," Harry answered.

"Are you sure? Sirius asked, sneaking his hand under Harry's shirt and brushing the skin around his belly button, the most sensitive spot on his stomach.

Harry jerked, but managed to not make a sound.

Sirius noticed, smirking and his hand away for a second before returning it to Harry's abdomen.

Harry tried to get away from Sirius's tickling fingers, but he had rolled into the floor. Sirius, unfortunately, followed him, straddling his hips and using his one hand to pull Harry's arms above his head.

"I think you're lying, Pup," Sirius said. He pulled up Harry's shirt and began to tick Harry's stomach mercilessly. Then, he moved his hand to Harry's side.

Harry was struggling to get his breath. He should have admitted he was ticklish and Sirius would have probably let it go. He felt Sirius's hand move to his side. He arched his back as his sides were also sensitive. He tried to roll away, but Sirius's weight was keeping him put.

"Sirius, come on," he cackled. He tried to scrunch up his shoulder when Sirius went for his neck.

"What?" Sirius asked, innocently, moving his other hand back down to Harry's still bare stomach and tickle the area around his belly button before moving both hands back to Harry's belly.

"No," Harry panted, trying to toll to get away from Sirius's hands.

"But you're laughing!"

Sirius then remembered something from when Harry was a baby. He smiled down at Harry and the pinned his hands above his hands again.

"Sirius, what are you doing?" Harry asked. He soon got his answer. Sirius lowered his head to Harry's stomach and soon pressed his lips to the middle of his abdomen and blew.

"Sirius!" Harry shrieked.

Sirius moved his head over to the next spot and blew. His hands joined his mouth and danced across his skin, leaving a trail of torturous tickling in their wake.

Suddenly, Harry felt Sirius's lips above his belly button and Sirius blew again. Sirius circled the belly button, blowing as he went. Then his lips were directly on top of his belly button and he blew.

Shrieking with laughter, Harry couldn't find the energy to get Sirius to stop. But before he said anything, Sirius's face hovered over own.

"Had enough?" Sirius asked.

Harry nodded, trying to catch his breath.

"I can't believe you are still ticklish after all these years. I used to do that when you were a baby."

"You used to do what, when I was a baby?" Harry asked.

" I used to Blow on your belly. You laughed when I did that. One time you walked up to me and raised your shirt for me to blow raspberries on your stomach. Apparently it is still your most ticklish spot."

There was a moment of silence before Sirius said, "You're ticklish, just your father. He was very ticklish. I used to tickle him all the time."

That made Harry smile and led to Sirius telling stories of the many tickle fights he and James would get into. Sirius was happy to see the smile back on Harry's face and hoped it stayed there for a while.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Sirius entered the room where they would be doing the Weighing of the Wands. He had arranged a library assignment for his class so he could attend the weighing of the wands. He wanted to be there to support Harry and when he heard a reporter from the Daily Prophet was going to be there, he wanted to make sure the interview went well and because Harry was underage, he wanted to be present to make sure nothing happened.

He was running a little late and he had walked in as they were doing a group photo. He nodded at Professor Dumbledore, who was standing in the corner with Mr. Bagman.

Sirius looked over and recognized Rita Skeeter, a reporter from the Daily Prophet. She was known for writing things that wasn't true. Sirius made a mental note to send an owl to Barnabas Cuffe.

She approached Mr. Bagman and said, "I wonder if I could have a little word with Harry before we start. An interview? The youngest champion, you know to add a bit of color?"

"Certainly" cried Bagman. "That is if Harry has no objection?"

"Um….." Harry trailed off.

"Lovely," said Rita Skeeter, and in a second, her long fingers had Harry's upper arm in a surprisingly strong grip.

"Excuse me," Sirius called. "He is underage and therefore as his godfather and guardian I need to be present."

He glanced at Bagman, almost daring him to object.

"Of course," Rita said.

"And I ask that you would kindly let go of my godson," Sirius requested, trying to sound as polite as he could.

Rita releases her grip on Harry's arm and told them to follow her to another room. Harry glanced at Sirius and mouthed "Thank you."

Sirius ruffled his hair, making Harry duck away from his hand and attempt to fix his hair.

The interview went smoothly due to Sirius's presence. He had even requested to read over the article before she published it, letting her know he plans to owl the editor. Sirius didn't use his name for anything but to protect himself, Remus, or now, Harry. She nodded, visibly shaking slightly and agreed.

Dumbledore came to get for the weighing of the wands, as Ollivander began with Fleur.

"Yes," he said quietly, "nine and a half inches... inflexible... rosewood... and containing...dear me..."

"A hair from the head of a veela," said Fleur. "One of my grandmothers."

"What is a veela?" Harry whispered to Sirius.

"A Veela is a race of semi-human, semi-magical humanoids reminiscent of the Vila in Slavic folklore. Little is known about their biology; they appear to be young, beautiful humans. Their looks and especially their dance is magically seductive to almost all male beings and some female beings, which causes such people to perform strange actions in order to get nearer to the Veela," Sirius explained.

"That explains why Ron and the other boys stare at them," Harry murmured.

"You don't?" Sirius asked.

"No," Harry answered. Sirius knew, though there was one girl Harry had his eye on, but he might be wrong. He didn't want to bring that up right now.

He quickly went through Cedric and Viktor's wands and then soon he was at Harry's

Ollivander spent much longer examining Harry's wand than anyone else's. Eventually, however, he made a fountain of wine shoot out of it, and handed it back to Harry, announcing that it was still in perfect condition.

"Thank you all," said Dumbledore, standing up at the judges' table. "You may go back to your lessons now or perhaps it would be quicker just to go down to dinner, as they are about to end…"

Harry didn't catch the rest of it, as he was gathering his things to leave. The other champions left and Harry headed to the Great Hall.

He entered the Great Hall and met Ron at the Gryffindor table. He looked up as Sirius approached the head table, then Professor Snape stop to talk to him, mostly to tell him what happened in potions that day. Sirius glance at Harry and Ron then turned to Professor Snape. Whatever he said to him, it was heated as Sirius didn't look happy when he left the head table and headed to the Gryffindor table.

"How's Hermione?" He asked.

"We don't know," Ron admitted.

"We were just talking about whether or not to go and check on her or eat and then go check on her."

Sirius glanced up at the head table where Professor McGonagall was talking with Professor Snape. Apparently, she heard about what happened and she wasn't happy that the potions master wasn't concerned when Hermione's teeth started to grow. She looked up at Sirius and nodded her head.

"Go on and see Hermione. Stop by my quarters and call for Dobby to get the three of you dinner. I'll meet you there after I finish here and you can tell me what happened."

Ron and Harry glanced at each other before getting up and leaving the great hall. When they were somewhere that they wouldn't be overheard, Harry told Ron what Sirius had told him about Veelas.

They entered the hospital wing where Hermione was getting ready to leave. She smiled at seeing the boys.

"Wow, Hermione," Ron said upon seeing her smile. "Your teeth are fixed."

"I had her shrunk them down a little more," Hermione explained.

"Come on, we'll go to Sirius's quarters and call Dobby to bring us dinner."

Hermione was about to say something, but because Harry had said Dobby, she didn't bother. She like Dobby.

Harry told her what happened when Sirius found out what happened and how angry Professor McGonagall was.

Hermione smiled, glad that someone cared about her well being.

Harry let them in Sirius's quarters and called Dobby to bring them dinner. Dobby popped in a little bit other with Winky and sat the plates down on the table. Harry, Ron, and Hermione thanked them and then they began to eat, making small talk as they fixed plates. Ron reminded them of the time that Fred and George were turned into old men when they attempted to put their names in the Goblet of Fire.

They looked at each other for a moment before they burst out laughing.

"Did your Mum ever find out?" Hermione breathed.

"If she did Hermione, she would have sent them a howler," Harry reminded her.

Ron and Hermione then told Harry, what's been happening in Gryffindor that Harry had missed.

They didn't notice when Sirius entered his quarters. He listened to sound of the three of them talking and laughing, finally glad to see the smile return to Harry's face, even if for a moment.

He just hoped that things would get better. Oh, how wrong he would be.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"...and now Hagrid's just shown me what's coming in the first task, and it's dragons, Sirius, and I'm a goner," he finished desperately.

Sirius looked at him, eyes full of concern, eyes that had not yet lost the look that Azkaban had given them - that deadened, haunted look. Harry just came back from Hagrid's where he had taken him into the Forbidden Forest and show him the dragons that were brought in for the first task. Sirius wished, not for the fast time that he had went with Harry. He couldn't because he had to supervise a detention with three of the third year Hufflepuffs.

"Dragons we can deal with, Harry," He assured him. "I don't know how."

"Sirius," Harry whispered.

"What is it, Pup?"

"I'm scared."

Sirius approached the raven headed teen and embraced him in a loving fatherly hug. He felt his heart stop for a second when Harry said it was dragons that he would be facing come Tuesday. If there was a time that Sirius felt all the more helpless, it was now.

"It will be okay, Harry. It will be okay."

"What am I going to do, Sirius. I'm only allowed to have my wand."

"I know."

 **AN: The first task will be in Part 2.**


End file.
